BRYAN, Texas — This Black History Month, we are highlighting black-owned businesses in the area who continue to contribute to our communities. The Remnant of Nawlins has been in Bryan for a decade, and the owner, Korey Thomas, is sharing the cuisine and culture of New Orleans with the Brazos Valley.
- Thomas says the food and culture in his restaurant are the same as in New Orleans.
- The Cajun cuisine is just a part of the greater Cajun culture.
BROADCAST SCRIPT:
“When I’m in New Orleans when I was back home, we never really referred to it as Cajun food, it was just the food — I really gravitated to the concept of Cajun when I got away from Louisiana," Korey Thomas said.
Thomas is a New Orleans native, a BCS transplant, a cook, and a restaurant owner serving Cajun food — or as he says it, just food, in the spirit of the Big Easy.
“When I'm at work, we tried to set the culture to be like how it would be if we were in New Orleans, more personal, so I get a chance to mingle with our customers," Thomas said.
He says Cajun isn’t just a cuisine — it’s a culture.
“There’s no judgments — they treat each other as one. They treat me just as I am — they don’t treat me any different," Victor Camarillo said.
Victor Camarillo has been working at Remnant of Nawlins for about two weeks — he and customers alike attest to the tight-knit atmosphere.
“People that serve you with a smile… every time, every time," Gloria Polk said.
For the last 10 years, Remnant of Nawlins has welcomed diners like Gloria Polk, and Thomas has shared his culture with the community that first embraced him when he escaped New Orleans and hurricane Katrina in 2005.
“I used to be so homesick because I would miss our food, and so I would go home — like a lot. It started costing me," Thomas said.
"I'm like man, we spend a lot of money and I would go home, but what we do is, we would go home and we would load up on some stuff and bring it back.”
Now, he brings back supplies for the whole restaurant — sharing his food, and his Cajun culture.
