A Courthouse bakery and cafe with New Orleans roots is celebrating 15 years of business this week with free treats and a lunchtime special.
Bayou Bakery is serving free orders of baby beignets to the first 100 guests after doors open at 7 a.m. on Thursday morning. The restaurant at 1515 N Courthouse Road will also offer a deal at lunchtime that day: a soup and sandwich combo for $15.
“As I look back on the 15 years at Bayou Bakery, what it took to get open and those that have helped me along the way, I have nothing but deep gratitude for all who have been there for us from the beginning and continue to support us now,” owner David Guas told ARLnow. “It is fulfilling and gratifying to have worked together through several challenges from COVID to difficult economic times.”
Bayou Bakery shares the culture of NOLA
- Guas, a New Orleans native, opened Bayou Bakery in 2010 to bring the flavors of his home to Virginia.
- The menu features bayou stalwarts like gumbo, red beans and rice and a roast beef po’ boy sandwich dubbed “The Arm Drip.”
- “I only wish to continue sharing the culture of Southern foodways by way of cooking soulful fare and maintaining a funky, casual experience customary to my native state of Louisiana,” Guas said.
It bounced back after pandemic closure
- Like many local restaurants, Bayou Bakery was shuttered for some time — five months — during the coronavirus pandemic.
- Instead of serving diners, Guas used the kitchen to support Chefs Feeding Families, a project that provided free grab-and-go meals to D.C.-area schoolchildren and their families impacted by the pandemic.
- The restaurant reopened in August 2020, serving customers seamlessly since then.
