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Jacob Mouton, the proprietor of Crawfish Jake, joined Discover Lafayette to discuss his career in crawfish and farming. A young man only 25 years of age, he is a hard-working entrepreneur offering a service in high demand.
Jacob has made a name for himself by offering high-quality prepared crawfish, crab, and shrimp for personal and corporate events, as well as orders available via drive-thru for pickup at Crawfish Jake located at 106 Roselawn Blvd in Lafayette.
An Agriculture graduate of UL-Lafayette, Jacob Mouton got his start in catering crawfish while a Freshman at UL-Lafayette. His KA friends at LSU asked him to cater their crawfish boil and word soon spread he began getting college and corporate events booked.
Since he was a young boy in elementary school, Jake has helped out on the rice and crawfish farm in Mowata owned by his Uncle Jimbo and Aunt Kathy (Hundley). Having learned the crawfish trade from his family, Jake explained how rice and crawfish farming go hand in hand; farmers will rotate growing the two between their acreage to ensure a bountiful harvest. When the rice is cut, the farmer will flood the field, leaving the stalk for the crawfish to eat. Then when the field is drained, the crawfish bury themselves into the ground as they mature to be harvested the next season. On March 29, 2022, Jacob was busy planting rice at the farm, readying for the upcoming season.
“We always bring extra when catering. You never want to be that guy that runs out of food. If you want to ensure a riot, then run out of food. No one cares if the DJ doesn’t show up, but if the food runs out, somebody’s going to get hurt!”
Jacob sources his fresh crawfish from the Hundley farm in Mowata, LA. He explained that most of the crawfish in the world come out of the 25-mile area surrounding Mowata, which is located north of Crowley.
Visit https://www.facebook.com/CrawfishJake1 for the latest menu and to check out their weekly specials.
Along with boiled crawfish, Crawfish Jake also offers boiled blue point crab (St. Mary Parish-based), King Crab (Alaskan-based), and shrimp fresh from Delcambre, along with the usual sides and sauce.
“Everything is boiled. No fried food. I think I’m the only restaurant in America where I cook everything in three pots!
Catering has become a big part of Jacob’s business. He has a boil scheduled in Washington DC in May, has done events in Houston and Orange Beach, and recently returned from South Carolina. Lafayette-based people around the country love their crawfish!
Crawfish Jake has an in-demand catering business and has served crawfish lovers across the country…..including the Governor of Louisiana. The live crawfish are transported in refrigerated trucks to ensure a safe product.
Jacob employs four people at his on-site location at 106 Roselawn and has 15 to 16 people working for him during his busiest times of catering. Most of the employees are college kids and his friends who understand his business. Labor and fuel costs have risen dramatically in the past couple of years and as with all other consumer goods, have affected the retail cost.
When asked about advice he would share with other entrepreneurs, he encourages people to “just go for it. If you enjoy something and think you can make a living doing it, just do it.” He further explained, “I’ve found out in life that serving people is what makes me happy. Bringing them fishing, bringing them hunting, and serving crawfish is fun for me.”
Always one to enjoy being outdoors, he is also Coast Guard certified as a captain. He has the best of all worlds, farming, catering, and during the summers, running a boat for a construction company based out of Baton Rouge.
For more information, visit https://www.crawfishjake.com/ or contact Jacob Mouton at (337) 288-8241 or crawfishjakela@gmail.com
