Our Story
The Acadian Kitchens Timeline
Bienvenue en Acadian Kitchens
1986
Bootsie’s branded Roux & Dry Beans launches across South Louisiana.
1990
Southern Seasonings, founded in Broussard Louisiana by Tom Riggs acquires Bootsie’s and begins manufacturing branded and co-packed products.
1994
Ragin' Cajun Fixin’s is developed and distributed throughout Southeast at regional & specialty retailers.
2016
Southern Seasonings acquires Cajun's Choice Louisiana Foods
2017
Acadian Kitchens acquires Southern Seasonings to expand the Ragin Cajun & Cajun’s Choice footprint nationwide
2021
Ragin' Cajun Foods ™ Launches Bold New Logo and Packaging Design
Take yourself to another time and place where culinary excellence meets the finest blend of flavors you can find without having to leave your kitchen. We at Acadian Kitchens carefully fuse authentic and diverse tastes of Louisiana's Creole and Cajun cultures to bring you traditional, bold flavors, proudly from the land.
From Louisiana’s robust, country food with French and Southern influences to the polished tastes of New Orleans, we offer the seasonings and fixings you need to create authentic, vibrant, and simply delicious dishes.
The story of Cajun's Choice is about staying true to one of America's most unique regional cuisines. Our products are derived from original recipes, containing more spice and less salt than national brands.
The Cajun’s Choice seasoning blends use only the highest quality, all natural, non-GMO and clean ingredients. Garden-fresh vegetables - commonly onion, garlic, celery and bell pepper, are mixed with fresh peppers, herbs and spices grown locally or imported from premium growing regions. These herbs and spices, blended with flavors only found in Cajun country, create seasonings and condiments that are true to this region.
Cajun’s Choice is sold nationwide in key accounts such as Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway, Publix, Sprouts, Harris Teeter, Delhaize, WinCo, Wakefern, Winn-Dixie, Ingles, Topps, Hy-Vee, Schnuck’s and several national independent wholesale distributors.
What separates us from our competition is our dedication to remaining true to the heritage of Cajun cooking. From our manufacturing location in the heart of Cajun country, to our specially designed roux pots that cook our small batch runs for over 10 hours before they are bottled, our devotion to authenticity will never waiver.
We let the quality of our products speak for themselves. Our choice to source only the highest quality ingredients is backed by our decision not to hide the taste of those ingredients by over seasoning with salt like our competitors. Our Bean Mixes have 12 different spices and vegetables with our Seasonings proudly calling out “More Spice, Less Salt” because we want people to taste authentic food the way it should be.
Ragin Cajun products are designed with timesaving simplicity in mind. From our 3-step Dry Bean preparation process (Rinse, Beans, Add Seasoning Packet, Cook) to our 2-step Shrimp Creole Sauce and Etouffee Mix (Add Protein, Cook), we’ve made cooking gourmet Cajun/Creole dishes at home an easy choice for the first-timer or culinary expert.
The Cajuns
Cajun or Creole
A True Melting Pot of American Cuisine
The cuisine of southern Louisiana follows the early history of America. This prime geography situated on a bustling gulf and threaded with rivers, is favored with fertile swampland and prairie. For centuries it has attracted a multicultural list of inhabitants. So Cajun/Creole fare has benefited from the blend of cooking characteristics brought by the many people who settled this area. Still many ask about the distinction between Cajun and Creole. There are subtle and important differences. In recent years, however there has been a melding of the two cooking styles which shows that this area's cuisine continues to evolve. For generations it has drawn the best from international and indigenous influences to become uniquely American.
Cajuns trace their roots directly to the Acadian French who relocated from Normandy and Brittany to Nova Scotia in the early 1600s. When the British acquired Nova Scotia in 1755, the Acadians or "Cajuns" as they were known, were forced to leave. For the next 30 years, Acadians searched for a place to settle. Many of the displaced Cajuns eventually found their way to the swamps and prairie of southern Louisiana.
Geographically, the swamplands and bayous gave the Cajuns an ample region in which to live. The natural alluvial flood plain in this area is the largest in North America. Not only does it nurture choice seafood and wildlife but its prairies provide optimum conditions for growing crops and raising livestock.
Choctaw Indians, the area's first dwellers, revealed secrets of indigenous foods - namely bay leaves and filé powder, to the early settlers. Characteristic corn dishes of south Louisiana such as macque choux can also be traced to these native people. Cajuns quickly learned to cook with the area's bounty of available ingredients. They cooked with traditional French flair but adapted their cuisine to the variety of indigenous foods. For added dimension to their dishes, Cajuns experimented with herbs and spices to find the best flavor combinations. With so much bounty from the bayous, Cajuns had truly found a promised land for their people and culture.
Creoles trace their heritage to the French, Spanish, Africans, Italians and other people who chose New Orleans as their home. The French began settling la Nouvelle Orleans in the early 1700's. During the French colonial period, food was characterized by traditional French sauces. Dishes were mild in flavor yet complex in preparation. Meals, prepared by African cooks, also took on a distinct African influence. Gumbo comes from the African word gumba, meaning okra. These cooks favored slow cooking over a low flame to intensify flavor blends.
When the Louisiana territory was traded to Spain in 1763, the Spanish added their influence to Creole cuisine. They mixed meat and fish in one dish. Until this time, a sausage and shrimp jambalaya was not common. In addition, they served food over rice - such as beans or gumbo. Finally, the Spanish cooked with hot peppers and highly seasoned dishes to suit their taste. Spanish contributions combined with French sauces and African influences comprise the foundation of Creole cooking.
After the Civil War, Creole food was again influenced from other directions. Italians came to New Orleans bringing with them a taste for rich tomato sauces and pasta. Soon after, Irish and German immigrants arrived and contributed the best of their cooking to evolving Creole cuisine.
Differences between the Cajun and Creole cooking can be distinct but are often blurred. A red jambalaya using tomato sauce is characteristic of the Creoles while a brown jambalaya is representative of the Cajuns. Pasta dishes are rarely found in a purely Cajun cookbook. Yet history, locale and fresh ingredients are common to the both cultures. So as travel, immigration and communication has increased between Cajun and Creole neighbors, the two cooking styles have gradually merged in character. Today, people everywhere know Louisiana cooking - whether Cajun, Creole or a combination of both, as some of the best in the world.