By Kimberly Hopson
L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Nelson R. Lemagne Jones is known throughout St. John the Baptist Parish for his outgoing personality and even more for his outstanding Cuban cuisine.
At his restaurant, Garces II, he greets everyone, even those he doesn’t know very well, with a smile or a joke. Despite his amiable nature, he seemed almost shy when interviewed. Lemagne blamed his temporary bashfulness on his linguistic abilities, saying that he is not “so open” while speaking English.
Lemagne is of mixed heritage and grew up in Havana, Cuba. The story of how he ended up in LaPlace was somewhat elusive, but Lemagne coughed up a general outline with the prompting of his business partner, Steve Heger.
“I’m proud of my roots. I’m proud that I’m Cuban and French. I’m proud of everything. I came here for freedom. I can’t explain to you what (exactly) happened in English,” he said. “I came from a mixed family, that’s the reason my name is Nelson Rodolfo Lemagne Jones. My family belonged to a French dynasty. You know Charles the Great? That’s my family. If you ever meet anyone with this last name, we are family. My grandparents came from Kingston, Jamaica.”
Heger revealed that Lemagne has already been in America for more than 50 years (his family made the move from Cuba to New York City, but he didn’t specify when). Lemagne said he came to Louisiana specifically during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as a contractor for the Federal Emergency Management Agency for opportunity and to help people who were struggling to recover.
“And money,” interjected Heger with a laugh. “We’re people in business for one reason.”
Lemagne said that his love of cooking is the reason he started his restaurant business. Lemagne takes pride in his industry. He said that he does his best to please people with good service, quality food and professionalism. He specializes in Cuban food, naturally.
“I learned my trade from my mother back in Cuba. I like to cook,” he said. “I cook for my family most of the time. They like how I prepare my food. My favorite food is white rice with black beans…oh, and Cuban steak! Oh, everything is good!”
Though he likes to laugh and joke around, Lemagne said he is a stern boss when it comes to business.  He also said he makes it a point to say only what he means.
“I’m sincere. That’s that reason people think I’m too rough. When I have a problem with anyone, I call them. When I’m going to have problem with them, I let them know in advance. I don’t play,” he said. “My father always said ‘When you open your mouth, be sure of what you say.’ I’m very friendly, but I’m very rough when it comes to discipline.”
The restaurant entrepreneur enjoys equestrianism and hunting in his free time and is a not-so-secret animal lover. He devotes most of his free time to his four dog-children: Sophia, Abby Girl, Remy and Soleia. He said that he has three more dogs in New York.
“They’re very beautiful, intelligent, and they keep the house clean. And when they do something wrong, they look at me like ‘Who did this? Not me!’ and then everybody is gone,” he said. “They are between 5 and 6 years old,” he said, holding up a picture of his dog Sophia wearing a red costume and hat.
Although he has had no trouble making friends in his adopted home, Lemagne confessed that the thing he missed most about his native Cuba is the people.
“I miss everything from my country. (Especially) the quality of the human being. We are very friendly. We click with people like one-two-three! (People here are) not mean but laid back. Stand-offish.”
Lemagne certainly isn’t stand-offish with those that patronize Garces II. Customers can rely on his customary greeting of “Hey papa/mamacita!” as they walk through the door to sample his Cuban dishes. Garces II is located at 1173 E. Airline Highway.