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18
MY
ROUSES
EVERYDAY
JULY | AUGUST 2015
the
Anniversary
issue
THE CADILLAC OF GROCERY STORES
Donald Rouse
Downtown New Orleans got its first major supermarket in 50 years
when we opened a store in the historic Sewell Cadillac building in
the Warehouse District in the fall of 2011.The four-story building
had been empty since 2007 when Sewell closed their dealership.
This was our first historic building — it was one of the original
International-style buildings in New Orleans. We were very aware
of the significance of the building, and we worked to preserve the
architecture and interior elements like the chandeliers.
The Warehouse District had been residential and mixed residential
and commercial since after the 1984 Worlds Fair. But even I didn’t
predict how much the area would change after we opened.The store
has become a major anchor for new developments, including 700
luxury apartments built right next door and new restaurants from
John Besh, Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski.
I’m a lifelong Saints fan, and the store is basically on the 50-yard
line, right smack in the middle of all of the game day excitement.
We’ve hosted Sunday tailgates, Monday night tailgates, BCS
tailgates, and a few New Orleans Bowl tailgates that turned our
parking lot Ragin’ Cajun Red. At least once a season we do a chefs’
tailgate with Tory McPhail from Commander’s Palace.
Tim Acosta
Chefs have always shopped at Rouses, and we’ve always featured
chefs in our advertising. Paul Prudhomme cooked crawfish étouffée
at Rouses #4 in Houma back in 1985 (he was escorted into the
parking lot by a firetruck — maybe because his food was so spicy?).
Frank Davis appeared one Saturday morning after Mardi Gras still