Louisiana Spirit Sets on Kentucky Derby

You certainly wouldn’t except to find an authentic crawfish boil on the backside of Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.  But when Louisiana born, Tanny DeVillier, comes to town for Derby, a moving truck filled with hundreds of pounds of crawfish fresh from the Gulf follow him. Bringing the Cajun flavor to the Bluegrass State, Devillier sets up rows of 80 quart pots to broil the crawfish. Once cooked, they are dumped into a container where the crew uses a crawfish paddle to mix in the yellow seasoning. On the side you will find a fragrant cooler with a tumble of ingredients: garlic, onions, corn and potatoes.  “It’s a special day for people who don’t always get to eat this type of food. I just like to see people having a good time and enjoying themselves,” says DeVillier in a matter of fact kind of way.

People leave the line with a mountain of crawfish so tall it’s tough to see over the cardboard try. Sitting elbow to elbow, we twist  the tails off the flavorful fish before dipping in a house made dip of cocktail sauce and thick mayonnaise. Fingers dusted in red spice, I give Deviller a high five.

Carri’s Catch: (Since I didn’t catch any of the crawfish.) Tanny has cooked for some of the biggest country western stars, including Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. “Once I was on the set of Friday Night Lights and turkey was tossed in a pot that made the grease overflow. A fire ignited right by the dressing room. You bet you Faith Hill called after hearing. But we assured her everything was under control,” laughs Tanny.