Feasting on Agriculture -- Crawfish Haven Bed & Breakfast
Early Monday morning, I headed south to Kaplan, Louisiana to shoot this week’s Feasting on Agriculture segment, but I had no idea that I would literally be working for my meal!
Barry Toups owns Crawfish Haven/ Mrs. Rose’s Bed and Breakfast and also offers crawfish excursions for his visitors. Nestled in the heart of Cajun Country, Barry says his bed & breakfast is the only place where you can “catch, cook, and sleep!”
Crawfish Haven offers visitors a unique opportunity to experience crawfish farming first hand. He gives his guests a lesson in crawfish production, then takes them onto the boat for a hands-on lesson in catching the crawfish.
“My relatives from Biloxi came crawfishing and had a blast” Barry said. “One of them said, ‘Man, you ought to do that commercially and take people crawfishing’ and so I came up with the idea to turn it into a bed and breakfast and offer crawfish excursions. I knew nothing about the hospitality business, but Cajuns are known for their food and their hospitality and things just fell into place.”
Barry purchased 28 acres of land in 2010 from Rose Robichaux’s family. Mrs. Rose lived in the home that is now the bed and breakfast. Crawfish Haven opened in 2015. In 2023, Barry’s business won the Louisiana Travel Association’s "Louey" award for the Best Bed & Breakfast in the state.
Today, Crawfish Haven welcomes visitors from all over the United States and the world.
“I’ve had people from California, New York, Indonesia, France, Canada, the UK, Ukraine, and it’s fun,” Barry said. “I feel like I’m traveling the world here now.”
With all that in mind, I thought I would make the trip to Kaplan to experience Crawfish Haven for myself. But I had no clue that I was in for a day of hard labor- catching and cooking!
When we arrived, Barry took us straight to the crawfish ponds where we loaded onto the boat. He handed me a pair of gloves, and I said, “Do I need these?” He replied, “well you’re going to be the one checking the traps!”
I laughed. I thought, “ok, maybe he will let me check one or two traps just for the video.”
Wrong.
Barry picked up the first trap to show me exactly how it’s done. Then he informed me that I would be checking the rest of the traps, and he would not be stopping the boat in the process! He also mentioned that every trap I missed was a strike on my record. Oh boy.
The traps were heavier than I expected, and it was a tricky job to empty all of the crawdads into the boat before the next trap was up. A few of the crawfish landed on the floor, and I wasted too much time trying to retrieve those stray fellas, and I missed my next trap. Strike one.
I hustled to get back on track, as Barry was not playing about not slowing down.
The wind was whipping back and forth, and pond water splashed in my face with every trap I emptied. Until then, I *thought* I was having a stellar hair day. I’ve never wanted a ponytail holder so bad in my life!
Seven traps down, I thought I was getting the hang of things, until another slippery sucker fell onto the floor of the boat. This was a giant one with monstrous claws— he must be saved! But this crawdad put up a fight, and did not want to go back in the sack with his compadres. Just as I was fighting to get him back in, Barry pointed out that I missed another trap— strike two.
Ten more traps, same story. I officially struck out. However, after checking all the traps in one pond, I caught enough crawfish to fill a sack!
Barry jokes that he “finally figured out a way to get people to pay him and do his work for him,” and he wasn’t lying!
From there, he took me to his carrot patch on the side of the crawfish pond to dig up carrots for the crawfish boil. I’ve had corn, potatoes, mushrooms, asparagus, artichoke, and even a can of green beans in a crawfish boil, but carrots?! This was a first for me!
When we got back to the bed & breakfast, it was time to unload and wash the crawfish- also my job for the day. Barry told us we all had to make a guess on how many pounds of crawfish I caught, closest to the actual weight without going over. Now I am certainly an expert on picking up a 27 pound child, but this sack felt slightly heavier. So I clocked in my bet at 28 pounds.
We headed to the scales, and guess what? TWENTY-EIGHT POUNDS ON THE DOT! Winner-winner crawfish dinner!
But my work was still not done.
After the crawfish were washed, I had to scoop them out of the tub with a hand-held strainer. Next Barry told me I owed him a dollar for each crawfish I missed when I thought the tub was empty. The result— five lonely crawfish were left, and five dollars for Mr. Toups.
Then he instructed me to dump the tub into the boiling pot, which was easier said than done!
As the crawfish boiled, Barry gave me a few small nuggets of wisdom concerning his boiling recipe. He created his own seasoning which does not contain any salt or MSG. Instead, Barry uses citrus extracts which give a salty flavor without adding salt.
After a long morning of unexpected work, I did finally get to enjoy the fruits of my labor! The crawfish were beautifully cooked to perfection. And the carrots? An unusually delightful addition to the meal!
At the end of the day, I was tired, fishy smelling and wind blown, but wonderfully full from a great meal and surprised that I can add new skills to my resume’.
If you’re interested in booking a tour at Crawfish Haven or in spending a weekend at Mrs. Rose’s Bed & Breakfast, visit the website to learn more. I assure you, you won’t be disappointed!
