By Gifford Greer
LSU Manship School News Service
Long before crowds filled downtown Lafayette, Lori Hurst was already at work, rolling thousands of edible balls by hand. Some were stuffed with fresh seafood, and others with savory sweets. By the time the first festivalgoers arrived on Wednesday at Festival International de Louisiane, 20,000 of the delicacies were ready to serve.
“We were told to find our niche and market the hell out of it,” Hurst said.
That niche is fried balls. And at the festival, Poor Boy’s Riverside Inn has carved out a reputation among the food vendors for keeping lines long and customers loyal.
For decades, Festival International has celebrated Francophone culture through music, art and food from around the world and draws thousands to Lafayette each spring. The family-oriented, non-ticketed festival debuted in 1987 to boost Louisiana’s economy and cultural
tourism during a statewide oil bust. The festival, which runs through Sunday, celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Nearly 30 food vendors offer everything from traditional Cajun dishes to globally inspired cuisine.
From alligator balls to sweet potato beignet balls, Poor Boy’s has built a following around its signature dish, bringing festivalgoers back to the booth year after year.
For Hurst, third-generation owner of Poor Boy’s Riverside Inn, the festival is more than a business opportunity. It’s a chance to showcase her family’s legacy and Lafayette’s Cajun culture, which she said is second to none.
“I’m flattered they think we’re Cajun enough to represent our culture,” Hurst said.
Poor Boy’s joined the festival in 2014, but its Lafayette roots stretch back to 1932, when Hulo “Poor Boy” Landry began selling snowballs out of a hand-pushed wagon during the Great Depression. What began as a $1.30 investment has grown into one of Lafayette’s longest-standing restaurants and one of Festival International’s most popular booths.
It’s the generational family atmosphere at Poor Boy’s that keeps customers like Clint Cormier coming back.
“Everything about it is amazing—from the staff to the food to the culture,” said Cormier, a St. Martinville native and longtime friend of Hurst who has been coming to the restaurant for nearly 45 years.
Over time, Poor Boy’s has become woven into Cormier’s life. He celebrated birthdays there, brought visiting colleagues and even watched his son get engaged at the restaurant.
“The staff treats its customers like kings and queens,” he said. “It’s like a family. They know their regulars on a first name basis.”
Cormier’s connection to Poor Boy’s carries into the festival, where he volunteers at the booth each year, arriving early in the morning to help set up and cook.
“We help them give back to the festival for what they do for the community,” he said.
Poor Boy’s has been serving dishes filled with tradition for nearly a century. Located a few miles off U.S. Highway 90, it is the oldest local establishment participating in the festival and will celebrate 94 years in May, according to Hurst.
For years, customers encouraged Poor Boy’s to join Festival International. When Hurst and her husband, Richard, finally participated in a taste-test interview in 2014, they made a lasting impression.
“I got a call and was told, ‘You will never not serve these balls,’” Hurst said. “What started out as a joke became a great thing. I’m okay with being the ball girl.”
This year, festivalgoers have a variety of options, including crab cake, sweet potato and alligator balls, along with grilled alligator, alligator sausage and fish tacos—all served by workers wearing T-shirts that read, “We’ve Got Big Balls.”
Before stepping behind the booth, the Hursts were regulars in the crowd. It was one of the only times each year the couple stepped away from work. Now, their work rarely stops.
Preparation for the festival begins months in advance. Between February and April, thousands of balls are pre-rolled while the restaurant continues operating at full capacity. A network of employees, family members and volunteers brings the operation to life.
“There are so many moving parts,” Hurst said. “Every year we try to put a better system in place.”
The labor-intensive work does not stop once the festival begins. Everything from U-Haul trucks to portable fryers and ice chests must be transported to festival grounds to create a temporary kitchen capable of serving long lines—and according to Cormier, Poor Boy’s line is among the longest.
Though the work is demanding, Hurst said it’s worth it to support events like Festival International that help keep “mom-and-pop” businesses alive.
“The festival is for the locally owned,” Hurst said. “I’m a big supporter of showing the love to local people. Lafayette and the Acadiana area should be proud.”
That local focus is part of what makes Festival International unique. Every food vendor is locally owned and operated, creating an atmosphere rooted in community.
“It’s a neat thing to watch so many people come together and share a love for food that’s local to the community,” said Valerie Hudson, a Lafayette native. “I feel like that’s really rare.”
That sense of connection and appreciation for local cuisine resonates deeply with festivalgoer Vivian Godchaux.
The 21-year-old said attending Festival International with her father remains one of her most cherished traditions. She has gone nearly every year since childhood and now, as a Louisiana State University junior, still craves her favorite dish: Poor Boy’s signature balls.
“You can’t go to Lafayette without eating at Poor Boy’s,” Godchaux said. “And if you’re at the festival, you’ve got to go to their booth.”
Each year, the festival welcomes visitors from around the world. Hurst recalls customers from Jamaica, France and Africa trying her food, many experiencing Cajun culture for the first time.
“It’s an honor,” she said.
After nearly 100 years in business and more than a decade at Festival International, Poor Boy’s Riverside Inn has become a symbol of the culture the festival was built to celebrate.
“Cajun people live to eat versus eat to live,” Hurst said. “And as you’re eating your food, you’re tapping your foot to some kind of music.”
This story was reported and written by a student with the support of the non-profit Louisiana Collegiate News Collaborative, an LSU-led coalition of eight universities funded by the Henry Luce and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur foundations.
