G. Harvest was a man who experienced more in one month than most men experience in one decade.  His adventures inspire the breads that we make.  Here’s the story behind our Jalapeno Cheddar Hamburger Buns.

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I bleed Vermilion Red and I’ve always loved Ragin’ Cajuns football.  My acquaintances and I have tailgated outside of The Swamp for years.  I use the word “acquaintances” quite deliberately… because of Jacques. 

Every year, for the first home game, our tailgating crew has a friendly cooking competition over who can make the best ______.  That blank has been filled with gumbo, hot dogs, fried chicken, buffalo wings, and many other dishes over the years.  Everyone has a blast trying to one-up each other… except for Jacques.  He goes overboard every single year and orders exotic, expensive ingredients just to ensure that he takes home bragging rights.  And brag he does.  A few seasons ago he was on the verge of ruining tailgating for us because things had gotten so out of hand with him. 

When we were getting ready to start the next tailgating season, our group decided that it was going to be hamburgers that were this year’s competition dish.  Jacques immediately started talking trash about how he would annihilate all of us.  Then and there I determined that I would beat that SOB.  Pardon my French, ladies, but this guy just gets under my skin.  There is a time and place for bragging: the time is never and I will let you figure out the place.  Jacques had clearly never heard of this rule.

I knew enough about him to know that he would focus on the meat.  He would blend a few different kinds together and make some exotic sauce to go along with it.  While I love meat and knew his sauces were pretty good, I also knew that his focus on this would be his weakness.  I had an opportunity to flank him by catering to my strength- the bun. 

For the month leading up to the cookoff, I tinkered in my kitchen.  I decided that the meat would be simple: 85% lean beef, seasoned with Tony’s, and cooked over mesquite.  The sauce would also be simple:  Creole mustard on the bottom bun and a Louisiana Lightning/Mayo blend on the top.  In-Season tomatoes, crisp baby greens, and a slice of Vidalia onion would be the only fixins’.  My bun would do the hard work.

The day of the game I set up my pit and let the fire do its thing with my meat.  Jacques, as expected, had blended beef, bacon, and rabbit.  His sauce had Turkish peppers, saffron, and Vietnamese mayo.  He made sure to let us all know that the peppers were overnighted from Istanbul.  Everyone deflated as soon as he started talking. 

I smirked.

At the last possible moment I whipped out my hamburger buns and threw them on the pit.  As soon as everyone saw them, they knew that something they had all dreamed of might happen that day.  My hamburger buns had huge chunks of aged cheddar and sliced jalapenos incorporated into the dough.  As they heated on the grill, the aroma of the garlic and onion that I had added to the dough began to fill the air.  At the last possible moment I pulled out my iced fixins’ and assembled my burgers.  I knew I had it right when I gave them a light press and heard the buns crunch from the toasting they had received on the grill.  

For the first time in years Jacques looked nervous.

The way that we judged the burgers was simple and non-scientific: we gave everyone a quarter of a burger.  They rated them 1-8 (there were eight of us that year) and Chad then tallied the points… the lowest points total was the winner.  There were lots of good burgers out there that year.  Jerome made a killer chicken burger, Chad had a decent bacon burger, and Steve did the Cosby Show classic “Bacon Burger Dog”.  I saved my and Jacques’ burgers for last.  His was stellar.  The meat flavor was complex and the sauce had an element of mystery to it… but the bun was so mundane and his cheese was simply a slice of American.  As expected, he had overlooked the entire burger in order to focus on a few pet ingredients.  I bit into mine.  My goodness, was it ever delicious.  The crunch on the outside of the bun gave way to its soft interior.  The meat flavor stood up to the cheddar chunks and the coolness of the tomato was perfect against the spiciness of the jalapeno.  I was too biased to judge fairly so I voted Jerome’s chicken burger #1, mine #2 and Jacques’ #3.  After that I basically just filled in numbers.

Everyone gave their slips to Chad and he started tabulating as, for the first time in years, Jacques sat silently waiting for the results.  I shook his hand and told him his sauce was brilliant, which seemed to comfort him some… he had forgotten that this was a friendly competition and I was glad to indirectly remind him of that.

To keep the story short, I won.  So did the Ragin’ Cajuns.  We beat Texas A&M that night.  David beat Goliath on and off the field.

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Jalapeno Cheddar buns are sold in 4 Packs and are available on Saturdays for tailgating this fall .

J.P. and Michelle ran into this guy at the Great Harvest Owner's Convention a couple of weeks ago.


You might not recognize him but he is a rock star in our world.  His name is Peter Reinhart... if we were computer programmers he would be Steve Jobs and Bill Gates combined.  His passion for bread is infectious and his recipes are killer (for any of you home bakers out there).

There is one day a year that is my favorite day to work at Great Harvest.  It’s the one Sunday a year that we’re open and it’s also technically not a day I work… I volunteer.  I’m talking about Baker for the Day.  J.P. & Michelle give one Non-Profit organization all of the proceeds –not just all the profits but all the proceeds– for that day’s sales.  We don’t even open our registers- the non-profit handles all the cash.

Here’s the kicker: we don’t even pick the organization that gets the proceeds.  You do.  From now through March 20th we’re letting you come in and vote for one of twelve organizations.  We want to help you make an educated decision so here is a little blurb on each one:

Acadiana C.A.R.E.S.
The mission of Acadiana CARES is to address the issues and problems associated with the HIV/AIDS pandemic and to provide education and services for the purposes of HIV prevention and the cares those living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.

Bridge Ministry of Acadiana
Bridge Ministry is an inter-denominational Christian holistic ministry called to provide relationship based programs which empower the under-resourced and mobilize Acadiana Christians to social responsibility. This year they are raising funds to help send children to an eight-day summer camp in Missouri.  The children are doing their part to raise money.

Cite' Des Arts
Our mission is to provide an experience that welcomes and encourages interactions between various cultures, generations and artistic disciplines in order to increase the participation, enjoyment and knowledge each may have with and of the others.  This year they are raising funds to update and renovate their facilites.

Christian Youth Theater

CYT is dedicated to developing character in children through training in the arts and by producing wholesome family entertainment, all of which reflect Judeo-Christian values.

Girl Scouts of Louisiana – Pines to the Gulf
In their words: “Our Girl Scouts traveling to London, Paris and Lucerne, Switzerland next summer.  This is a great opportunity for the girls to learn about cultural differences and experience a once in a lifetime journey.”

Miles Perret Cancer Services
To serve families in Acadiana Fighting and Surviving Cancer, with care and compassion.  They are raising funds for a Children’s Center.

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI Acadiana)
From its inception in 1979, NAMI has been dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness.

Pope John Paul II Academy
Pope John Paul II Academy is a private, PK4-12 independent school committed to teaching an exemplary, rigorous classical curriculum, and a comprehensive understanding of the Roman Catholic faith.  They are raising money for to support needy families that qualify for tuition assistance.

Team Towry – Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
JDRF is the worldwide leader for research to cure type 1 diabetes.  It sets the global agenda for diabetes research, and is the largest charitable funder and advocate of diabetes science worldwide.

Volunteers of America – Greater Baton Rouge – Acadiana Programs
Volunteers of America was founded in 1896 with a promise "To go wherever we are needed and do whatever comes to hand" in the service of God and humanity.
On these founding values our organization has grown to be one of the largest, most diversified, and most effective faith-based charities in America, particularly in the 19 South Louisiana parishes we serve.

Here’s the basic rules:

• Vote in person through Saturday, March 20^th
• One-time vote per person (13 years and older)
• NO PHOTOCOPIES ACCEPTED
• Great Harvest will be the sole counter of the ballots & will settle all disputes

J.P. & Michelle are away at the Great Harvest Owner's Convention in Napa Valley.  We're not slacking at all.  Ummmm, really. 

Anyway, part of the convention is the Sacred Handing Out of Awards.  Other events allegedly include Most Hippiest Looking Outfit, Best Holder of Their Liquor, and Highest Score of Shuffleboard with a Loaf.  In the past, we've won the Best Young Store Award but there is one that we've always had our eye on - the Phenomenal Bread Award.  It is awarded the the Great Harvest Franchise that makes the best loaf of Honey Whole Wheat.


We did it!!!  J.P. & Michelle wanted to thank the whole team and we, the team, would like to thank all of you that come in and buy our loaves... without you we'd all have jobs that are much less fun and didn't allow us to wear tie-dyed shirts!