By David Vitrano
L’Observateur

LUTCHER – While to most of the country the terms “Cajun” or “creole” are relegated to the world of gastronomy, here in South Louisiana, the terms refer to not only cuisine but an entire way of life.

Unfortunately, the younger generations are growing further and further from their cultural roots, but St. James Parish ProStart instructor Rachael Schexnayder has spent the last eight years trying to buck that trend.

Each year she organizes Cajun Creole Day at the Career and Technology Center in Lutcher so students can get a taste — both literally and figuratively — of a disappearing way of life.

“Because regional cuisine is a chapter that I teach each year in my class, I am aware that students that live in our area lack an understanding of their culture,” said Schexnayder. “They don’t know why we are referred to as ‘Cajuns’ and how the foods we cook in our area are actually a combination of several cultural influences.”

As in years past, Schexnayder brought in a group of traditional crafters, running the gamut from wood working to traditional dress to alligator trapping to file-making. There is also a Cajun band on hand, and traditional Cajun dancers drag students onto the dance floor and into another time.

Although ProStart is a culinary program, Schexnayder said she wants to show her students how the food and the culture are interconnected.

“In our small parish alone, there are people from French, Spanish, Italian, African-American and German descent,” said Schexnayder. “The lifestyle and food traditions that are so strong in our area have been influenced by all of these cultures. I teach students from each of these cultural descents, and very few understand the link between our food cultures and their ancestors.”

The program is a natural extension of the ProStart program because the dinner table has been a traditional point of gathering and exchange.

“Through food, families maintain a sense of generation and extension,” said Schexnayder. “Older family members pass family lore to the younger ones and individuals learn about their cultural identity. “