By DAVID VITRANO

News Editor

LAPLACE—Just as the red neon signs beckon customers from the outside, the Rauch family beckons from within.

Wayne Jacob’s Smokehouse, located at 769 West 5th St. in LaPlace, is truly a family affair. Although brothers John and David own the smokehouse/country store/restaurant, according to John, everyone in the family pitches in.

And this personalized touch makes all the difference. The country store sells a wide variety of homemade smoked delicacies, and on the restaurant side, everything is made fresh.

Wayne Jacob’s, under the ownership of the Rauches, opened in March of 2006, but the business has been there since 1953, and the family strives to ensure that things haven’t changed much since the smokehouse opened its doors 55 years ago. Even the smokehouses are original and all wood, an important element in flavoring the meats, according to John.

David, who won the Hog Cracklin’ title in 2006, made sausage for the previous owner. But when the owner expressed intentions to sell the place, David and John decided it was an opportunity they just couldn’t pass up.

Of course, andouille is the raison d’etre at the casual eatery, but David also serves up outstanding country sausage, boudin and Italian sausage, just to name a few.

The family-run aspect also allows the place to offer a bit more flexibility than many other restaurants.

Lunch, which is served Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., not only features a wide selection of poboys and homestyle plates but also five specials, which are changed daily. On a recent Tuesday, some of the specials offered were the West 5th Lunch—six large butterflied shrimp simmered in a rich andouille gravy served with rice and vegetables; the N’Awlins BBQ Shrimp Poboy—shrimp simmered in a cajun garlic butter sauce served on French bread; and Shrimp St. John—a bowl of pasta topped with a spicy shrimp and tasso herbed cream sauce served with vegetable.

Dinner, available Friday and Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., is a bit more upscale, but that doesn’t mean you have to don your dinner jacket. The entrees are what dress themselves up and feature a selection of pasta bowls, steaks, surf-and-turf and much more.

The real big day at the smokehouse, though, is Sunday, when Wayne Jacob’s whips up a fantastic New Orleans-style brunch. It’s the best kept secret in town.

So the next time you’re driving down West 5th in LaPlace and that red neon “WJ” calls out to you, stop in for a bite or pick up some andouille or boudin to fix at home. You won’t be sorry.

Wayne Jacob’s Smokehouse is located at 769 West 5th St. For more information, call 985-652-9990.