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ROUSES.COM
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FAMILY LETTER
COFFEE TALK
In most of the world, the ritual of drinking coffee doesn’t begin until adulthood. But in
this part of the country, we usually start drinking “coffee milk” as youngsters. Still, coffee is
something that most of us associate with adults, and especially with our own parents.
Now that I’m a father, I’ve become more nostalgic. And I have even more appreciation for
my parents. I don’t wait for a special day to tell them, but I always make an extra effort on
their respective holidays.
Mother’s Day is the busiest restaurant day of the year but — or maybe because of that — my
mom always chooses a home-cooked meal over going out. I’m no slouch in the kitchen, but
my mother is the best cook in the world (I bet you say the same thing about
your
mom), so the
pressure is on. Usually we grill or boil seafood — two of my specialties. It’s her day but Mom
still makes dessert — you haven’t had bread pudding until you’ve had
her
bread pudding. It’s
best washed down with some good strong Louisiana coffee. I always bring flowers.
My kids and I have our own Mother’s Day traditions, which start with breakfast in bed with
coffee and all my wife’s favorites, courtesy of the kids. My wife, Kara, also gets homemade
cards and a special Mother’s Day cake.The kids go to Rouses the day before to decorate it.
I handle dinner and clean up.
As for Father’s Day, do others really buy ties for their dads? In my family, every celebration
revolves around food, including Father’s Day. My dad and I both like to fish and hunt. Dad
isn’t one for gifts, but I never arrive empty-handed. It can be a bottle of his favorite bourbon,
a fishing reel or the latest drawings from his grandkids. But it’s mostly about the time spent
together, the meal savored, the dessert and coffee to cap the celebration.
It’s easy to get hung up on looking for just the right present for Christmas, Valentine’s Day
and birthdays, but Mother’s Day and Father’s Day really are about just spending time together.
Donny Rouse
, CEO
3
rd
Generation
On the Cover
Crescent Dragonwagon’s
Blueberry Coffee Cake.
See story page 18.
photo by
Romney Caruso
• • •
MOTHER’S DAY
IS SUNDAY, MAY 14
Our cake decorators will help
your child decorate a special cake for
Mother’s Day. Join us on Saturday, May
13. We’ll have small cakes ready for the
kids to decorate.
FATHER’S DAY
IS SUNDAY, JUNE 18
Treat your dad to a steakhouse steak.
We have a steak for every appetite and
budget, from USDA Prime and USDA
Choice to Dry Aged and our exclusive
Texas Star Beef, which is ranched right
here on the Gulf Coast.
Every steak we
sell is cut in store.
HELPING FAMILIES IN NEED
Research shows that more than 20
percent of parents have skipped meals or
gone without food to feed their children.
I encourage you to join us and help fight
hunger by supporting Feeding America
with a donation of nonperishable food or
money at any Rouses Market.
• • •
“One of my memories from growing up
is having coffee milk with my Granny
Rouse. She would have all the girl
granddaughters over for sleepovers. We
would play in the backyard, come in, get
bathed and play cards. In the morning
she would make ‘lost bread’ (French
toast) and let us drink coffee with her
(though it was mostly milk, I believe!).”
—Ali Rouse Royster, 3rd Generation
Donny Rouse &Donald Rouse