E010: A Little Louisiana Love-- Gerald Gruenig

About Gerald
Gerald Gruenig grew up in New Orleans on top of his family’s poboy restaurant.  After relocating due to Hurricane Katrina, he met his wife in high school and wen to play football at Nicholls State University.  In 2013, Gerald began working in broadcasting as a sports and news reporter.  Shortly after, in 2015, he began a segment on KLFY TV10 called Acadiana Eats which highlights local food and culture.  Further immersing himself into the culture, Gerald began playing the accordion in 2017 and now leads the zydeco band Gerald Gruenig and Gentilly Zydeco which pays tribute to New Orleans roots.  In 2021, Gerald began a TikTok page devoted to chronicling his food adventures and has amassed a huge online following since. 

With undeniable joy and passion, Gerald talks about Louisiana food, celebrating culture, and how life can lead us to right where we need to be.  

Connect with Gerald
Social Media:
Instagram- @geraldgruenigtv
TikTok- @geraldgruenigtv
Facebook- KLFY Gerald Gruenig

Also, get to know Erin Cuccio a bit better by checking out her writing HERE.

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Connect with Erin
IG @erincuccio
www.erincuccio.com

Order Any of Erin's Books HERE

Transcript

Erin Cuccio (00:03):

Hey friends. I'm so glad you're here. I'm your host, Erin Cuccio and this is Room for Lovely.

Erin Cuccio (00:16):

Guys, I have to be honest and tell you that today's guest is just a bit of a departure from my personal norm. I have been dubbed in our family as having the potential to be an OOF or the opposite of fun, very straight-laced, always relying on a plan and not very good at letting my hair down. I'm getting better, but I am who I am. On the other hand, today's guest is the very definition of fun. I first knew of Gerald Gruenig when he landed at our local news station back in Louisiana, nearly a decade ago. He later began a segment called Acadiana Eats, highlighting local food and culture on the morning news over the last several months, he expanded this coverage of culture over to social media. And through that has amassed quite an online following. Being the food lovers that we are my husband and I would often send his videos back and forth to each other, commenting on his vibrant personality and incredible food highlights.

Erin Cuccio (01:08):

But one day it struck me. There was something deeper here. And while I would venture to say that Gerald probably would never, ever, ever say that he was making room for lovely, that's exactly what he was doing in his appreciation of the very best that local restauranteurs had to offer, the diligence of these people, the culture of our local community. He is making some room for lovely, with all of his crazy catch phrases and dance moves and his buoyant personality. And so I pushed just a little bit past my comfort zone to have some fun and have Gerald on with me today.

Gerald Gruenig  (01:40):

Erin! What's happening?

Erin Cuccio (01:42):

How's it going?

Gerald Gruenig  (01:44):

I'm good. How are you?

Erin Cuccio (01:45):

I'm doing really well. Thank you so much for taking the time to be here this morning.

Gerald Gruenig  (01:49):

Oh, no doubt. No doubt.

Erin Cuccio (01:50):

So listen, before we even start, I have a confession it's two parts. Okay. So the first part is you are the first person that I've had on the podcast that I don't know in real life.

Gerald Gruenig  (02:00):

Oh, I feel like you made a good first choice, man. I'm easy. I'm easy.

Erin Cuccio (02:04):

Thank you. Thank you. And then the second part is you are way too fun for me. I am like so straight-laced and quiet and you're just a whole lot of fun. So <laugh> yeah,

Gerald Gruenig  (02:16):

I'm a lot. There's no doubt. So it's funny. My wife is super quiet and, and, laid back and I appreciate that as much as people appreciate my energy, I appreciate the other side as well.

Erin Cuccio (02:27):

Good. Good. All right. So before we get started, would you just tell us a little bit about yourself and what it is that you do?

Gerald Gruenig  (02:34):

My name's Gerald Gruenig, uh, I'm from New Orleans. I live in Lafayette, Louisiana now. Um, we've been out here since 2014. I work at the CBS affiliate here. KLFY News 10, started at KLFY, in 2014. Uh, started a food segment called Acadiana Eats, which has been, uh, very popular and turned into its own entity if you will. Started in 2015, been rolling along with that now, uh, October 1st will be seven years. And, uh, yeah, I do a lot of the cultural stuff promoting south Louisiana, promoting Acadiana, especially, uh, but at the same time, you know, showing appreciation and, uh, always trying to give love to, uh, you know, south Louisiana, Southwest Louisiana, the Acadiana area, do some stuff in new Orleans. Um, we're about to start doing more and more outside of, of the, uh, Lafayette area. And, uh, yeah, man, I like to, I like to say I'm a Louisiana man, so let's go.

Erin Cuccio (03:25):

So something that I didn't mention on the front end, whenever I was just asking you to be on, was that I did tell you that my husband and I live in Texas, but what I didn't tell you was we actually own a Cajun restaurant here.

Gerald Gruenig  (03:36):

Cool.

Erin Cuccio (03:37):

And so we moved to Texas, but we couldn't come here without taking the food. I mean, that's like the most important part.

Gerald Gruenig  (03:44):

<laugh>. Yeah, for sure. And I think, you know, what's so funny, so many people talk about, you know, Louisiana food and how good it is. It's, it's funny. Like I, you don't have to be in Louisiana to have good Louisiana style food, for sure. So, uh, you know, like people ask me about boudin people ask me about like all like, dude, you can buy all this stuff at every grocery store. I don't wanna say it's not tough because I know cooking obviously is a skill, but, uh, you know, if you have, if you have the want to, and the know and the know and the know how, man, go ahead and roll with it. So, uh, that's cool. How long y'all had the restaurant?

Erin Cuccio (04:12):

Um, so we've only been open for about a year. My husband started a drive through crawfish place here. Yeah. And, and we did that for a while and just always knew that the hospitality end of things was where we wanted to end up with like a full service restaurant that we could really welcome people in and give them a whole Cajun experience.

Gerald Gruenig  (04:32):

Yeah, for sure.

Erin Cuccio (04:33):

And so we just love watching all that you do, because everything that we're like, oh my goodness, this dish or that dish or whatever. Yeah. Right, right. Um, so it's a whole lot of fun.

Gerald Gruenig  (04:41):

It's funny. You asked me, you know, to talk a little bit about myself. I completely forgot to mention, I'm from new Orleans, I grew up on top of my family's poboy restaurant, which, you know, we obviously lost in hurricane Katrina, but my dad reopened his location, uh, in Jefferson Parish. But I literally grew up in, on, in an apartment next to some gas stations on top of our, uh, poboy and plate lunch restaurant. Uh, that's where I spent the first 15 years of my life. So, uh, yeah, man know all about it. Uh, I make the joke. I'm not new to this. I'm true to this man. <laugh> it's true. I, because, you know, I remember how big of a deal it was. That's the reason why I started doing the food stuff, not to eat, man. I have food. Uh, I trust me, I don't miss a meal, but so many people think that I do it just for the food. And, and the fact is when I get phone calls and text messages, people with tears in their eyes and, and because they're, they sell out it's crazy what it's turned into. So that's, that's really what started. The whole thing is me growing up in the restaurant business and knowing how much the exposure can really benefit our local restaurant scene.

Erin Cuccio (05:38):

So I've heard you mention before about your dad. Tell me about that. How did that impact what you do today?

Gerald Gruenig  (05:43):

Oh wow. So yeah, my dad, you know, co-owned the guy I named after Gerald Sealy is essentially my dad's father figure. He hired my dad at the restaurant. My dad eventually ended up owning and that I ended up growing up on top of, in New Orleans, on Franklin avenue in Gentilly. This story sounds cliche, but it is what it is. My bedroom was literally right on top of our kitchen for the restaurant. So my dad would be down there, you know, cooking up his, you know, whether it's red beans, white beans, spaghetti, meatballs, whatever, it may be his plate lunches. So like, yeah, man, like our whole house smell like a restaurant all the time. So, so I'd literally wake up to it, uh, go down the stairs every morning, go make whether it was, you know, a egg and cheese poboy in the morning before I'd leave bacon, egg and cheese sandwich with, you know, fresh baked French bread every morning.

Gerald Gruenig  (06:29):

It was a unique way to grow up. However, I, I played football at Nicholls State University and I'm, I'm the first Gruenig to graduate from college. I, I think honestly I'm one of the first ones to leave New Orleans. So as soon as I, as soon as I got away from it for a little bit, uh, my, my eyes kind of opened up to a world outside of the restaurant, always wanting to do it and always planning on it. But then, uh, you know, some opportunities came up when I was down at Nicholls. And uh, you know, you make more friends when you grow your, your base, right? When you get outta new Orleans, you to meet new people and you're exposed to new things and ended up, uh, running into a buddy of mine that worked in TV and, uh, you know, did some sports for a little bit and then kind of transitioned to the cultural role full time, 2000, April, 2016, it'll be six years I've been doing, you know, pretty much food and cultural stuff.

Gerald Gruenig  (07:14):

And, uh, yeah, the whole goal was to provide a voice to so many people that are working so hard, whether it's our musicians, uh, our restaurant owners, our artists, just anybody in the state. I take a lot of pride in being able to help people out. Because I think, you know, as much as, as times are changing, so many people still do watch TV. And I feel super lucky that I have the job that I have at KLFY. Uh, my boss is Chris Cook and, and Michael Sykes, my news director that they let me do what I do. And they appreciate all the rich cultural aspects our area has to offer and that they, uh, continue to let us show it all off. So that's really what it all stems from.

Erin Cuccio (07:51):

And so you started strictly on the news, but this is also turned into a really big deal on social media. So how has social media impacted what you're doing? Because it's crazy.

Gerald Gruenig  (08:02):

Yeah. So John Weatherall, John's the one responsible for all the Mardi Gras TikTok videos that came out this year, uh, from our area, right? Not just, John's actually gonna be, I'm very excited. We just got John signed up to ride on, uh, Toast Sunday with us in uptown New Orleans on Sunday. So he's gonna, uh, miss Church Point Mardi Gras this year, but that's all right. He's gonna, he's gonna, he's gonna experience a different Mardi Gras, but, uh, it was in the fall, John and I were driving out for work somewhere. I knew John had been posting on TikTok and I had been on Instagram and Facebook and posting pictures and stuff, but you know, I, I was never one really loved spending too much to time on my phone. I'm gonna be honest with you. As a matter of fact, you know, I have a zydeco band now and I always tell people, they're like, man, when did you learn to play the accordion?

Gerald Gruenig  (08:46):

I'm like, dude, when I, when I decided to stop playing on my phone all afternoon, that has turned into a whole nother, you know, entity. And I think we have 14 or 15 gigs book between now and September, which is crazy, uh, started playing music in 2015, uh, excuse me, in 2017. So it's been about five years, but yeah, so John and I were driving, I guess. Yeah, it was Friday, October 1st. I think I posted my first one, which I think is an, which is similar to the Acadiana Eats anniversary, which was not on purpose. But yeah, John and I were driving, John was like, dude, we need to get on TikTok. Um, he said, you need to get on TikTok. I'm like, you know what, man, let's do. It kind of played around on the app for a little bit. And I had an immediate, uh, regret.

Gerald Gruenig  (09:27):

I'm not gonna lie to you as soon as, as soon as I got on, I was thinking to myself like, dude, if we would've gotten on and if I would've gotten on at the height of the pandemic, when people were blowing up, like no problem, it probably would be, would be way crazier, but it's been, it's been the right amount of crazy so far. The social media stuff has been, has been a lot of fun. Um, another opportunity, honestly, to continue to support, uh, our local restaurants here. Uh, we've done some stuff in Houma and Thibodeaux. We're gonna start going to Baton Rouge, Lake Charles Charles we're, we're about to start ripping and running and, and there's a need what I provide, um, compared to cause you know, a lot of people do food stuff, you know, on top of me being who I am, uh, the knowledge I have and the trust, I think a lot of the restaurant owners have with me because of my background.

Gerald Gruenig  (10:12):

I think I get a different side to how we deliver it. And at the same time, you know, I, I don't get a lot of pushback. You know, like a lot of people get worried about being on camera, putting their stuff on camera. I think as soon as they talk to me for a couple minutes, um, they realize I'm not gonna steer 'em wrong because at the end of the day, you know, I feel like we're in a, we're in a me, me, me world, which I get. Um, and I'm not against people that, that push that narrative and people may think, you know, that my pages are all about me, but it's definitely, definitely, definitely not, man. It's, it's all about the restaurants. It's all about the food. It's all about our area, our region, our state and showcasing, you know, everybody working so hard.

Gerald Gruenig  (10:47):

So yeah, we've been, uh, I'll be, uh, I'm not sure what time. Well, I don't wanna date this, but we're knocking on the door of a, of a hundred thousand now on my page, John's got about, I think 450 K uh, the Facebook stuff has grown from TikTok. Instagram has grown from TikTok. So our reaches, our reaches is growing more and more. So I'm just very thankful that I get to work hand in hand almost every day with John Weatherall who's super creative. One of my best friends. Uh, we've been working together at KLFY now since 2014 and I'm glad he gave me the push. And uh, it's been all since October and uh, we're gonna, we're gonna try and keep things moving.

Erin Cuccio (11:21):

That's awesome. So coming from New Orleans to the Southwestern part of the state, so I'm from Iota originally and my husband is from Crowley. So we're like deep Southwest.

Gerald Gruenig  (11:32):

What's up baby? Yeah!

Erin Cuccio (11:33):

Yeah. Yeah. So what is the difference? Because we feel like there's a difference. What difference between the Eastern part of the state to the Southwest part of the state?

Gerald Gruenig  (11:42):

So I can tell you I've lived everywhere, but north Louisiana, right? So spent a lot of time in Lake Charles, but I've lived in Lafayette. Uh, I've lived in Pineville, lived in Alexandria for, you know, 10 months and then, uh, lived in Thibodeaux for four years, lived on the North Shore for four years. And then, like I said, uh, I spent the first, you know, 15, almost 16 years of my life, uh, in New Orleans. So I've lived everywhere in the state except, you know, the Monroe Shreveport area. I think one of the biggest differences with the cliche answers, right. You know, there's so many things that, so that so many people will think about for our state in our area and both regions Southwest and Southeast Louisiana, but, uh, the people are vastly different, but genuine through and through. I think, you know, everybody likes to, you know, compare, who's got better food.

Gerald Gruenig  (12:25):

That's one of the questions I hear all the time, new Orleans or, 504, the 337, essentially. And, uh, or 985 or whatever it may be Thibodeaux, Houma, New Orleans, you know, Lafayette area Lake Charles. Um, I always say that, you know, from an affordable food standpoint, uh, I think I'd pick where I live now, which is Lafayette Parish all day every day, just because it's unbelievable, which you can get for under $15 when it comes to, Hey, let pop in here real quick and get a plate lunch, uh, get something out the hot box with the gas station or pop into the Snack Shack, right in Iota let's go, come on somebody, you know, go get a cheeseburger or whatever it may be, but in new Orleans, I think, I think I definitely miss, and Ariel and I talk about it all the time.

Gerald Gruenig  (13:04):

We miss our plethora of, uh, fine dining options. I really miss putting on a sport coat and having a nice night out as fun as it is to, you know, roll up casual every everywhere. I, I do miss having a, a white table cloth dinner at more than just, you know, three or four restaurants, which is the reality. Right? And even though there are more places with, you know, white table or a nicer dining experience here, you know, just the, the casualness of the dinner scene at times. I, I wish we had some nicer spots, but look, man, the market is what it is. And people like to enjoy themselves. You know, those they'll, they'll they'll drink, like they'll drink cocktails at the same price of, you know, the people in the sport coat. So it don't matter, man, you know, and I, and I appreciate that, but I think the food is different.

Gerald Gruenig  (13:46):

I think the cultures are different. I, you know, moving from new Orleans, I think even me, you, you think you living in New Orleans, you think, you know, Louisiana, I think when we move to Lafayette, um, this has been the perfect mix of everywhere I've lived. And I think what people think is Louisiana, when they come here, that's what you get in the Lafayette area in Southwest Louisiana, I think, you know, from the culture, you know, the Cajun and zydeco music or the Zydeco and Cajun music to the plate lunches, the food, the crawfish like that, that almost TV movie side of things is definitely more out here. Uh, just like, you know, but New Orleans deals with it too, because new Orleans is in all voodoo and gumbo and stuff like that. So I think, uh, we're, we're very lucky to, to live in Louisiana because it's so culturally rich, but there's definitely a huge difference between the two, uh, the food, the accents, the people are, are all different, but you know, I feel like if you, if you get in with the right crew, uh, you you're gonna enjoy, uh, a visit here and, or, uh, you know, your time here.

Erin Cuccio (14:40):

So you mentioned being able to get anything at a hot box. And that's one thing that I miss. I mean, we have some of that here in Texas, but it's just not the same as like heading out to the local gas station. <laugh> yeah. Right. And so what has been your favorite thing that you've eaten? Because you've popped into a lot of places what's the best.

Gerald Gruenig  (14:57):

Yeah. So, you know, we've been doing the food segment now for almost seven years, we go to a new spot just about every week. Uh, the social media stuff has increased that. So, you know, some of these places have opened and closed and uh, new places have opened in those same spot. So I'm not talking concrete, you know, brick and mortar restaurants. But overall I think John and I have been to a little more than 350 restaurants over the last seven years just in our area. So obviously that's gonna grow as we continue to start, uh, expanding, uh, what we're doing, my favorite thing to eat. You know, it's funny a lot of people laugh. I don't know if this is the New Orleans, kinda you, the New Orleans side of me and cause you know, new Orleans, we have a big culture, gas station wise of, you know, kind of Chinese noodles, egg rolls and the gas station side more than the more than the boudin balls and, and cracklin, you know, there's not really a whole bunch of that happening, New Orleans, there's a big culture of Asian food, I would say.

Gerald Gruenig  (15:49):

Um, and some of those more gas station, you can pick up some fried chicken, some fried fish and stuff like that. But I don't know what it is. I've always been an Asian food guy. I do love fried seafood and, and poboys. But uh, the Acadiana area has some really, really good Vietnamese and Thai restaurants that I really enjoy that a lot of people don't associate with, uh, you know, when they come out here. But the fact that the is I'm thinking about food that I eat when I'm not quote unquote at work eating. And a lot of the times that's, uh, you know, I'll go pop in, pick up some Thai food or some Vietnamese or some Korean or whatever it may be. But, um, overall I think, I think if I could tell you my favorite south Louisiana dish to eat and I, and I always do a good job of being a politician when people ask this, um, I'm not gonna give you my favorite restaurant.

Gerald Gruenig  (16:35):

I'm not gonna tell you who's got my favorite dish just because, because there's so many, um, I would be doing a disservice to, too many if I picked just one. Um, but I will say if I put anything on TV, on our segment, Acadiana Eats or on our social media accounts. It's good, man. So my favorite thing to eat though, would doubt a doubt is, is gotta be a, you know, a, a fresh new style seafood poboy, but that's just, that's just to my roots. So I should say my dad's restaurant. Right. But I won't even, I won't even, I won't even say that, man. I won't even say that. Cause there's so many people that do a good job.

Erin Cuccio (17:07):

Well, I get that. I get it. I'm gonna lighten the load and I wanna do a quick round of this or that. All right. Okay. So Louisiana style of this or that. Sweet or savory?

Gerald Gruenig  (17:16):

Oh boy. Sweet. How you like that? <laugh>

Erin Cuccio (17:19):

Okay. Fried or Saucy?

Gerald Gruenig  (17:21):

Saucy. <laugh>

Erin Cuccio (17:23):

Boudin or sausage?

Gerald Gruenig  (17:25):

Oh man. I I'm gonna I'm I'm <laugh> I'm gonna go...I'm gonna go boudin. Smoked boudin in particular, just comparison, but I'm gonna go boudin.

Erin Cuccio (17:35):

Follow up to that that's not on the list. Do you prefer your boudin more rice or more meat?

Gerald Gruenig  (17:40):

Well, that's a whole, geez. That's a whole nother podcast. Right? Um, I think, you know, so many different areas have so many different styles and how they like to make boudin, you know, I've, I've come to really like, uh, boudin and Evangeline Parish has been some of my favorite. So I would, I would say more meat than rice, but to me, um, I do like an overpacked boudin link. So that way you're not having to chew too hard to break the casing on it. That's why in those videos that I do, you'll normally hear me ask to get cut in thirds. People, I see people making fun of me, like man, bite that link of boudin. Like, nah, bro. I can bite if I bite it in thirds, it makes it easier for sure. I would go boudin and I would go, uh, more, more on the meaty side.

Erin Cuccio (18:19):

Okay. Crawfish or crab?

Gerald Gruenig  (18:21):

Crawfish. No doubt.

Erin Cuccio (18:23):

Good. Étouffée or gumbo?

Gerald Gruenig  (18:26):

I would, I would say red beans, but I'm gonna go étouffée. Étouffée.

Erin Cuccio (18:29):

Perfect. All right. This is gonna put your New Orleans to the test beignets or King Cake?

Gerald Gruenig  (18:35):

I'm a sweets guy. Right? So that's a tough one. So I'd say both over, I'd say both over anything, any savory food you just asked me, I would take both of those over any of that. <laugh> whew, so beignets or King Cake? Man, I, I think the King Cake game has changed so much. Um, especially out here, you know, like you have some people doing traditional king cakes and even in the world, so many people are doing so many different, crazy things with king cakes, but I would, I would probably have to go beignets just from the, you know, coffee, family aspect of stuff, but you start pulling on my Mardi Gras heart strings when I think about eating king cake on St. Charles's. So, uh, yeah, but I, I go with beingets.

Erin Cuccio (19:13):

All right. Okay. So earlier on you talked about why you do what you do and you said it's not about the food, correct. And I could just hear your heart under there. So what do you think is so special about Louisiana? Why are we set apart in the way that our culture is or in the way that our food is? What makes it special?

Gerald Gruenig  (19:32):

Well, I think the state as a whole, especially the areas I've lived in have learned to do a lot with a little. And I think our food is a great representation of that. I'm a huge advocate for our state. Uh, I think that's, what's been really cool about the social media side of what we've been able to do is show people, you know, we may not have the best roads, schools, infrastructure, or drainage government. Uh, the list goes on and on, but we know how to have a good time and, and we know how to cook and, and make sure people feel loved. And like I said earlier, you can come in and I, for instance, I'll tell you my brother-in-law's moving to St. Croix, right? He's originally from the North Shore St. Tammany Parish. That's where my wife's from. We met in high school when I ended up in, in Mandeville, Covington after hurricane Katrina, you know, one of the biggest things that, you know, I think he's gonna have to learn is find that crew or find that group of people that know how to know how to have a good time at home.

Gerald Gruenig  (20:23):

That's what, what will really take your Louisiana experience up a notch because you can come here and maybe you're underwhelmed, I'm gonna be honest with you. Look, I always say it, my wife and I like to travel, you know, we don't do it as much as we were doing it, obviously since we've had the baby, you know, we, we go to, we'd go to California, we'd go to the east coast, we'd go up to Boston, DC, Philly. You know, so many different areas of our country, uh, provides so much from a, from a visual standpoint, from a, you know, I guess a tourism standpoint. But you know, I think the grittiness of Louisiana is something that's just so fun. And I think people, uh, really enjoy it. And I think that's what set us apart, but grittiness in a good way. Right.

Gerald Gruenig  (21:02):

But a little, brother's always like we got grit, which is true, you know, so, and you can take, uh, by how good our food is, how different our music is. I mean, I can't tell you the moments I have where I'm sitting here, you know, drinking a bottle of Barq's root beer while eating on a fried shrimp poboy with French bread made locally, shrimp caught locally, uh, listening to, you know, jazz, blues, Cajun and zydeco music. You know, not saying blues so much, but you know, zydeco, Cajun and jazz music, music that started in our state, the amount of food that's been invented in our state. I mean, it, it just is, is so special. And, you know, I think that's what makes it so special. And I, I would encourage anybody listening and, or that hasn't been before, while Louisiana's a great place to come in and have a good time, if you can get in and make some friends when you do come down to visit. And or if you do have some friends that are doing the crawfish boils the fish fries, the cookouts, the gumbos on the stove during the winter, uh, hanging around, watching the LSU football game with some friends, tailgating. I mean that, that's the stuff that I think sets us apart. Does it make us better? I don't wanna say yes or no. Um, the, because I, I, I've enjoyed a lot of the big cities and, and areas of the country I've been to, but I definitely think that's what makes us so unique.

Erin Cuccio (22:15):

It's definitely unique for sure. And I think what you're talking about is probably one of the most authentic ways to experience Louisiana is when you can find either those whole in the wall restaurants that feel like MawMaw just invited you, you into her house, or, you know, if you can find a friend who's having a crawfish boil, you know, cooking gumbo, I agree. I think that's probably the best way to experience it with all that you've done with. ACAA eats one thing that I love whenever I watch your videos is how you just, it, it, there's fun and they're crazy, but I can tell that, see people, yeah. You see people, you see people who are walking down the street. Yeah. Um, you see the people who are cooking food, like you are a noticer of people. And I think that that is something that is really admirable about the way that you put out what you're doing. How have you seen that make a difference? Not only for the people that you're doing these videos for, but for,

Gerald Gruenig  (23:09):

Well, I can tell you, I didn't realize how much that was happening until we got on social media, to be honest with you, cause it wasn't until we were making more stops, uh, throughout the course of the week. You know, whether it's when we're wrapping up a day, um, it wasn't until we've been doing more, uh, restaurants for the social media stuff where people are seeing me and they're seeing John, but there's no big light set up. There's no big cameras. I think the big TV cameras that we use at times can be a bit intimidating and people go, oh, I don't wanna be on TV. You know what I mean? Like there's, there's like this, this standoffish feeling, whereas like John's just rolling on a cell phone, just like up on his chest, like this and, and people and people are losing their minds.

Gerald Gruenig  (23:54):

And I never realized how often people were doing that. And, and honestly how much joy it even brings me to go back. And when I'm editing up a segment to post, then all of a sudden I'm like, oh dude, I completely forgot that lady. Or that guy ran up on me and, and started cutting up with me and having a good time. Cause we were just doing so much of that. Um, it it's been, you know, extremely heartfelt. It's been touching for sure. You know, cause I, so many times I hear, Hey, you make my day, Hey, you make my morning, you make this, you make that. And I'd be like, oh man, you got it. It's what it's all about. Keep it moving. Well, now that we have some documentation of that, I think that's been super special, uh, because it, it, it is genuine.

Gerald Gruenig  (24:34):

And I think part of the reason why the, the segment has had so much success on TV and the segment has been doing well on social media is because it is genuine, man. You know, it's, it's, I love our John loves his state and uh, you know, we just, we just put it all out there and uh, you know, the knowledge that I have from the restaurant business and the knowledge creatively, John brings to what we do has been, uh, has been a really great match. John is, you know, Hey John, how are you? I'm good. Like, you know, very quiet, you know, we're like ying and yang, man. I think, I think, you know, people have been drawn to it and, and having that video of people, you know, going, oh my God, like has been, has been a lot of fun and it felt weird at first posting it.

Gerald Gruenig  (25:15):

I'm gonna be honest with you cause I wanted to keep that stuff for me. I'm glad John has talked me into posting those. Like he did, I wasn't gonna do that because it felt too, too much of like, I, I try to make it very adamant and that's, what's been so weird about the social media thing has been like, you know, like never did. I think I'm have like, be hashtag tagging my name or like, you know, just like pushing me all the time. Um, but I understand to grow and I understand what we do, people enjoy it. So I, I, I get that side of it, but it wasn't an easy thing for me to, to do at first, but I'm glad people have responded the way that they have. And uh, I'm glad that, you know, people feel comfortable enough all walks of life, whether, you know, they're struggling and pulling up or taking the bus or walking on the street or pulling up in a G wagon, man, it doesn't matter. We got all kinds of people rolling up on us and going like, bro, you know, I love it. Baby, let's go. So it's been cool. It's cool.

Erin Cuccio (26:08):

It's funny because I don't think you can get through a video of yours without just like smiling and like I'll watch it. And then later my husband will be like, Hey, did you see that video earlier? Yes. Like we saw it. They're just, it brings so much joy and that is huge. But also you can tell that it's genuine, but then you have in the back of your mind, like, is it really you? And though like, is this really who they are? You know what I mean? Yeah. Right. And so as soon as I started messaging you about being on here, I went back immediately and told my husband, like he is exactly who you would think he is like just in your responses and the way that you've talked, it's been, it's been cool to see that you are, who you portray yourself to be. And that's been awesome.

Gerald Gruenig  (26:48):

Yeah, for sure. For sure. Well, I've always been high energy, you know, I was always not the best student. I think, you know, I was, I always mess with my wife who, you know, grew up in the suburbs of, you know, new Orleans and you know, straight a student me while I was a little rough up around the edges after, especially when we started dating, obviously cleaned it up a lot. She's been the main reason why I've been able to, you know, cause who honestly, bro, if Katrina doesn't hit, who knows what my life looks like, man, we have some new Orleans stories that would blow people's minds if they heard <laugh>. However, I think I do take a step back and I almost drive my wife crazy all the time. Like, you know, uh, I think about where we live, the lifestyle, we have, uh, the amount of people, the type of people, what I get to do, what we get to do, um, how much we've been blessed.

Gerald Gruenig  (27:35):

So I do, I, I, the fact that I get to better restaurants and spend time with people and, and put good people that do good work on TV and, and all on social media and, and, and really help people out is, is a feeling that man I'd have a hard time giving up. I don't think I, I don't think I'll ever be able to or ever would, but I'm glad that, uh, hopefully I don't have to make that decision anytime soon. I don't plan on it. You know, I plan on keeping it rolling, but yeah, it's all from the heart for sure. And I think growing up next to 24 hour gas stations and top of a restaurant that was open pretty much 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM every day, you go see some stuff, man, and you go meet some pretty interesting people. So I think how I grew up and uh, all the places I've lived, uh, I feel like, I feel like I reflect a lot of that in what we do every day.

Erin Cuccio (28:18):

So what's next for Acadiana Eats?

Gerald Gruenig  (28:21):

So, uh, you know, Acadiana Eats man, I think, you know, locally, there's still so much. We, we still do. I think, you know, the, the food segment airing every Thursday has been such a blessing. You know, I can't thank KLFY enough for what I get to do every day. And then on Tuesdays we do Acadiana Eats live, which has been fantastic. The cooking in studio gives us more opportunities to give more people, uh, shots to, to show their per products off and to, you know, show their personalities because, you know, we've changed a lot of people's businesses and lives by what we do. And I don't take that granted, uh, for granted, but at the same time, man, look, I, you know, uh, I'm never one to get bored. Like dude, our segment is our segment. It still pops. It's still, you know, sells restaurants completely outta food in a couple of hours after the segment airs.

Gerald Gruenig  (29:06):

And, uh, it's, it's really, really crazy. But I think the Acadiana, each segment is so successful because of our community and their respect and their loyalty to our, our station, you know, K F Y has been a staple for decades in our community. And I, you know, you can move like, you know, I get calls all the time about going back to new Orleans or whatever it may be. And I'm like, man, I, as much as we love living here, I don't know if the impact we have from a, from a television standpoint, not just on Acadiana Eats happens in many other markets across the country, because what we do at KLFY with the food music culture, it is so ingrained with our area. It's been, it's been a lot of fun to be a lot, to be a part of. And, uh, Acadiana Eats. Yeah, man, we're gonna keep it rolling. Very excited about what that future looks like, because we still have so many restaurants we have to feature. Um, and the social media stuff has just been super fun. And uh, just another way to, you know, help make a difference in, in people's lives at home or people's lives when they're watching wherever they may be.

Erin Cuccio (30:14):

Well, I appreciate you so much taking the time to be here before we go. I have one last question. I always end by asking this. So in our house at the end of a day, oftentimes I will say, tell me something good. And it can be something small, something big, but what's good.

Gerald Gruenig  (30:30):

So we're having our second baby in September.

Erin Cuccio (30:32):

Oh my goodness! That's awesome.

Gerald Gruenig  (30:34):

Yeah. So haven't, haven't uh, publicly, uh, made that known, but yeah, very excited about that. So how's that for something good? Let's go!

Erin Cuccio (30:42):

Awesome!

Gerald Gruenig  (30:42):

We're gonna find out at the beginning of May what it is.

Erin Cuccio (30:45):

That could be the best "Tell Me Something Good" I've had so far.

Gerald Gruenig  (30:47):

Hey, let's go. Love to hear it. Come on, baby.

Erin Cuccio (30:49):

Congratulations.

Gerald Gruenig  (30:51):

Yeah, you're right. Appreciate you.

Erin Cuccio (30:53):

If you aren't from Louisiana, there may have been times during this episode where you thought we were speaking a different language-- boudin, cracklins, beignets, étouffée-- what in the world?? Head on over to the show notes and click the link to check out Gerald on Instagram or TikTok and prepare to want to book your trip down south. We may be biased, but there just isn't anything quite like the food and culture here. And if you enjoyed this episode, take a second to hit like and subscribe, leave a rating, and share it with your friends after all, you're gonna need some travel buddies, right? It was refreshing to lighten things up a bit this week, tiptoe out of my comfort zone, and get to chat with Gerald about all the best that Louisiana has to offer. But there were several things that stuck out to me and I hope that you will take them with you this week.

Erin Cuccio (31:36):

First, his undeniable joy for life and passion for what he does take a second this week to find what brings you joy, to remember what you're passionate about. It matters. Second, the difference he's making. Just simply seeing people and celebrating what they are passionate about can make such a huge difference to the person who needs it most. And lastly, when Gerald said, "If Katrina doesn't hit, who knows where I'd be?" Gosh, this was such an important reminder, terrible devastating things can happen in our lives. It's inevitable. There will be pain and heartbreak, but years down the road, Gerald is able to reconcile the good that came out of an awful situation. And that just reminds me to stop and look for the good stop and make some room for lovely.