Catfish, lobster and alligator Po' Boys are coming to the East Valley.
Flavors of Louisiana, a Cajun restaurant that started in 2008 in Avondale, will open a third location in a shopping center near Chandler Boulevard and Kyrene Road in Chandler.
Owner Jennifer Geoff said in a phone interview that the new location will be a franchise and is slated to open in October. Their first franchise, run by one of her daughters, opened in March in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
She said the location would be 3,200 square feet and have seating for 110 - 120 people. It will have a similar look and feel to the Avondale location, including no TVs. The Chandler restaurant will have a limited beer and wine menu, something the Avondale restaurant does not have.
(Geoff said she prefers no TVs because she does not want the restaurant to turn into a sports restaurant).
The restaurant will have counter-service for lunch and have typical dine-in service for dinner, she said.
Geoff said signature dishes include Dunkin Catfish, any of their 12 Po' Boys (catfish and shrimp are their top sellers, she said), and Red Bean Bowl. They also have gumbo, jambalaya and etouffee.
Geoff, who owns the restaurant and franchise business with her husband, Calvin, grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where her mother made two types of Lousiana-style cuisine: creole and Cajun, or "city cajun" (hot and spciy) and "country cajun" (flavorful).
She moved to Arizona in 1990 where she worked as a pediatric nurse. However, it was a "little dream of mine" to open a restaurant and "show people want authentic Cajun food is all about," she said.
