OUR STORY
A family recipe. A city’s spirit.
Meet the Preaus
Kristen Preau grew up beside her dad’s cast-iron pots, learning that good food brings people together. Those festival days and family recipes became the heart of Jambalaya Girl.
Founded in 2010, Jambalaya Girl brings that same welcome to home kitchens, gifts, and gatherings.
THE PREAUS FAMILY, 1985
Paul and Karen Preau, their son, Kevin (age 4), and daughter, Kristen (age 2), grew up cooking and serving countless bowls of Jambalaya!
FRENCH QUARTER FEST
It started with Dad’s big pot — and a lot of heart. Jambalaya Girl's roots began as Cook Me Somethin' Mister in the early 1980s.
PREAU FAMILY ROOTS CIRCA 1988
Paul and Kristen “Jambalaya Girl” Preau take a break in Jackson Square during French Quarter Fest, 1988. The Preaus cooked some of the festival’s earliest pots of jambalaya.
FROM FESTIVAL POTS TO FAMILY TABLES
Fun fact: Cook Me Somethin’ Mister still uses the same 40 gallon cast iron pot that was used to cook at the very first French Quarter Fest in 1983. That’s one well seasoned pot!
MEET KRISTEN
a.k.a. Jambalaya Girl
Meet Kristen Preau, the girl with the fork earrings, whose childhood nickname inspired a brand dedicated to sharing the flavor and hospitality of New Orleans.
"THE JAMBALAYA GIRL"
The girl with the fork earrings!
Artist Ricky Nobile’s original Jambalaya Girl caricature brings her signature look to every package.
PRESS + MEDIA
A LITTLE KITCHEN-TABLE CONVERSATION
New Orleans & Company: Three questions with Kristen Preau, CEO & Owner
Meet Kristen and the story behind the brand.
Steeped in the History of the New Orleans Cooking Scene
Jambalaya Girl’s Dad, Paul, used to specially manufacture outdoor cookers for some of the top chefs in New Orleans and he always cooked classic New Orleans recipes, like our jambalaya, to showcase his cooking equipment.
Paul manufactured the gas burner that Chef Paul Prudhomme used to prepare his famous Blackened Red Fish recipe. The burner is featured in Chef Paul’s mail order catalog and is pictured here in his first cookbook, Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen. (1984)
AMAZON SELLER STORIES
How Jambalaya Girl grew beyond local shelves.
New Orleans native Kristen Preau shares takeaways from running her business and growing in ecommerce.
Join Kristen Preau of Jambalaya Girl for “Making a Roux Without the Hassle,” a cooking segment on Great Day Louisiana that brings a little New Orleans know-how to your home kitchen.