Thousands flock to King Cake Festival in Thibodaux to crown the best of the bayou

Thousands flocked to downtown Thibodaux's first king cake festival Saturday, with visitors voting Sugar Love Bakery of Slidell the best.

"It's amazing, it means a lot to a bakery or any small business," owner and baker Sierra Zeringue said.

Zeringue said her company is the inventor of King Cake on a Stick, which was being offered to visitors in small portions for tasting. The bakery also created King Cake Charcuterie. Charcuterie is typically a tray of meats with different sauces. Zeringue's variant offers the king cake with cups of all of the different fillings for dunking.

Sugar Love Bakery has had a shop at 1329 Englewood Drive Slidell for eight years. Before that, Zeringue ran the business for six years out of her mother's kitchen.

Twenty-eight bakeries competed in the Bayou King Cake Festival, a fundraiser for the Lafourche Education Foundation, which gives grants to parish public school teachers for use in the classroom.

Visitors purchased tickets, $10 in advance and $15 at the door, along with sponsorships and got a chance to vote on the bakery that served their favorite king cakes, which were offered in small servings for tasting.

Sugar Love Bakery received 183 votes. Second place went to Cajun Pecan House of Cut Off, with 182 votes. Spahr's restaurant, which serves a local favorite king cake beignets at its restaurants in Thibodaux, Cut Off and Des Allemands, finished third with 157 votes.

Deanna Lafont, executive director of the Lafourche Education Foundation, said she was amazed by the turnout. Hundreds stood in line at the two entrances, filling up over two blocks waiting for the sugary treats.

"It's much more than was expected," said Capt. Kyle Cressione of Thibodaux Police Department.

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Lafont said more than 2,000 people had purchased tickets in advance. She estimated that with preorders and sponsorships, the foundation had raised $45,000.

The festival kicked off at 1:30 p.m. with a parade of 15 wagons carrying children, accompanied by five marching bands, from the old Capital One building on West 2nd Street to St. Phillip Street and back.

West 2nd Street was lined with tents, each run by a different baker offering their own varieties and variations on the popular Mardi Gras treat.

Kalena Dehart and others from the Culinary Department of the Lafourche Career Magnet Center worked at one tent. They started with 12 king cakes and were down to seven an hour into the fest.

"So far I think it's great," Dehart said as she and two others placed king cake into tiny plastic cups.

Trang Ja and her friend Ang Lemko, physics majors at Louisiana State University, joined about 40 of their classmates at the fest.

"It's pretty interesting. I like the spirit of it because it's only once a year," Ja said.

Lee Legendre and his girlfriend, Aggie Thibodaux, said they enjoyed the festival and plan to return next year. They showed up late, and the boudin-filled king cake they had hoped to try had run out.

Legendre said he voted for the sausage-and-onion-filled king cake.

"It was like a supreme pizza because of the bite of onion," he said.

Leah Moorman and husband Jacob Seemann of Veggie Rebel offered a savory spinach epinard as well as a raspberry-filled king cake, both vegan options.

Half an hour into the festival, Moorman and Seemann had five doubloons. Attendees received a wooden doubloon with their entry fee and could purchase more for a dollar apiece. Each doubloon counted as a vote.

The streets were packed, and walking from one end of the festival to the other required navigating a sea of people. Lafont said she saw adjustments that would have to be made for next year, including expanding the size.

The local parade season starts Friday when the Krewe of Hercules rolls through the streets of Houma. Mardi Gras is Feb. 21.

This article originally appeared on Daily Comet: Thousands flock to Thibodaux's King Cake Fest for a taste of Mardi Gras