Shake it up

With a menu inspired by the family favorites of his grandfather, local restaurateur Stephen Hightower’s new eatery Leroy’s (leroyskitchen.com) has opened on Nicholson Drive near Burbank Drive. Offering fried chicken, burgers, beignets, skillet cornbread and a variety of craft beer-infused milk shakes, the restaurant specializes in a very modern twist on classic Southern diner food.

Also last month, Street Breads (streetbreads.com), the Lake Charles-based sandwich shop, opened its Baton Rouge location. The concept is not unlike a Subway or Izzo’s, with the ingredients displayed and orders built right in front of patrons. However, there is a wide taste range, with sauces and toppings prepared daily and served on artisan bread, wraps, pita or fresh focaccia. Street Breads is open 6:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. and offers breakfast sandwiches until 10:30 a.m.

Owning a bakery was something Kasie Coleman never would have imagined a few years ago.

Yet her new bakery specializing in bundt cakes and whoopie pies, My Sugar Belle (mysugarbelle.com), has opened on Plank Road. In 2010, Kasie Coleman was diagnosed with an extremely rare cancer peritoneal mesothelioma. A former pharmaceutical rep, Coleman was in and out of work for treatment and recovery until she was laid off. 

“I started thinking, ‘Now what?'” Coleman says. 

To pass the time, she started baking, just like her grandmother Mary Davenport taught her. And like Davenport, Coleman would often give away whatever she made. 

“The more I baked, the more I felt [my grandmother’s] presence,” Coleman says. “It became therapeutic. I baked like a crazy person, eight to 10 cakes a day.”

Seeing the response to her confections and in need of work, she decided to open My Sugar Belle on Plank Road. It started out as a praline business, but then grew into a full bakery. She estimates she has almost 200 recipes stored in her head and she makes everything from scratch.

Know of a new business, restaurant or service in Baton Rouge? Tell us about it by emailing [email protected].