Our Story

Welcome to Foodie Tasting Room. We are a family-owned and operated business specializing in small batch family recipes. Originally from Louisiana, which our roots will always be, our story brings us to Jefferson Texas.

For years I shared my ideas with friends and family, to express my love for cooking through my food and sharing my recipes. I envisioned a brick-and-mortar location but started by selling Pepper Jelly using my great grandmother’s recipe in the VA hospital lobby where my father worked. My product led me to selling weekends at the local Farmer’s Market, where I incorporated more recipes through pickles and salsas per the request of our loyal customers.

In 2009, I took a risk and opened my first restaurant, “The Nook” a coffee house and bistro. I opened with a few thousand dollars in a 400 square foot space located in Downtown Shreveport. Still wanting what I had always dreamed of, I opened another restaurant, “Around the Corner” this was what I had always talked about a full service restaurant. It was a struggle to run both locations and being a single mother of two so I sold them in 2013 and went back to being a CPA.

I missed my restaurants and found myself returning in 2018 when I opened Yard Bird Southern Table and Market. It was a hole in the wall located on the Louisiana Texas Border in Waskom, Texas. Even though both my children thought I had lost my mind they quit their jobs and joined in my dream. This is where our businesses truly became a family business. In 2019 my children opened Square Nutrition and in 2023 my son opened Heads & Tails Crawfish in Marshall, Texas. With each of us completing our chapter at Yard Bird Southern Table and Market and starting a new chapter of our own we continue to always learn from each other, help each other out in time of need, and grow our businesses together. Our family sold the Yard Bird Southern Table and Market in 2023.

As a chef with a passion for cooking with finer ingredients my daughter and I decided to open that brick-and-mortar retail store in October 2021, Foodie Tasting Room. We were located in downtown Marshall Texas and it was a true dream come true. Studying infused oils and balsamic vinegars for the past ten years I knew exactly what my focus for the store would be. Soon the dream needed more space and, in the spring of 2023, we moved the store to Historic Downtown Jefferson. I remember walking down the street thinking how perfect this location will be..., it just felt right.

The Foodie Tasting Room is packed full with a large variety of first cold pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oils from Tunisia and Traditional Style Balsamic Vinegar from Italy. Staying true to our roots we offer an abundance of canned pickles, salsas, salad dressings, marinades and sauces all our family recipes. Foodie Tasting Room offers products that have been carefully crafted to meet your expectations. Our freezers are stocked with local meats and seafood. You can find your favorite house made dips, dressings, and butters in our open air along with small batch specialty cheeses and meats. The soaps and candles are still hand-poured at my home as they were back in the day of the Farmers Markets. We expanded our healthier living by now selling Doterra Essential Oils and increased our Rowe Casa Organics. We also made sure to bring in more kitchen and home items. Our vision is to inspire your unique culinary experience using our brand to help you put your recipes on the family table. With a bigger retail space, we were able to triple our inventory and we now carry other small family-based products. We are currently offing classes from cooking, bread making and hollistics. This is what living your dream is like. It has been a wild ride with many twists and turns but also a good reminder to never give up. From our kitchen to your table, you can always find something for everyone at Foodie Tasting Room. And as always, we could not do what we love without you!!!

THANK YOU!

Amelia Rabalais