Fatsam's Louisiana Cafe

It’s a bit of Cajun, a bit of Creole and a whole lot of good. Fatsam’s Louisiana CafÉ serves a variety of foods from the state’s five regions. Its proprietors, couple James and Constance Meadors, hail from the great state, and James was surrounded by great cooks.

“I grew up in Haynesville, a small rural town. My mother worked in the high school cafeteria. She was an excellent cook. We didn’t have a lot of money nor was there a lot to do. So family gatherings served as entertainment,” he said. “There was a renowned barbecue shack about 50 yards from the house … Mr. Crawford’s barbecue was outstanding.”

Of course, being surrounded by food and helping his mother with her “unofficial” catering business, one would expect Meadors to become a chef … however, running Fatsam’s Catering and the cafÉ is a third career. Meadors is a former educator and football coach. As a coach, he traveled Louisiana and sampled local fare, such as Natchitoches meat pies. This is what lends Fatsam’s its varied Louisiana cuisine. He and Constance moved to Arkansas about 14 years ago and started the catering business to supplement their income due to a 9/11/01 financial loss.

“We started with small jobs, reinvested into the business and began to take on larger jobs … we’ve catered weddings for up to 800 people,” Meadors said. They also did concessions during Riverfest for a number of years.

Their menu includes traditional Southern and comfort foods, such as hot water cornbread and purple hull peas along with traditional Louisiana dishes, such as po’ boys, gumbo and jambalaya. For instance, the Wynn Parish shrimp is a delicious concoction of shrimp, fresh okra, red onions, stock, tomatoes and spices served over rice. We sampled this along with the purple hull peas, yams and the cornbread. Of course, the po’ boys are popular dish — the catfish and jerk chicken sandwiches were adorned with James’ secret sauce, which was created about an hour before opening June 12, James tells us, smiling. It’s quite tasty. Chunky coleslaw and a savory side of red beans and rice make for a filling meal. Don’t miss the crawfish etouffee  — it’s one of the best we’ve had — and look for additions to the menu, such as Woodson School dressing this fall. It’s Meador’s mother’s recipe. Barbecue ribs and chicken will also be added capitalizing on Meadors’ experience gained in Mr. Crawford’s shack. Peach cobbler, bread pudding and the soon-to-come “ neat Louisiana thing,” sweet potato pecan pie will scrumptiously satisfy any sweet tooth.

Fatsam’s Louisiana CafÉ
400 President Clinton Ave
Little Rock, AR 72201
(501) 244-4720
fatsamcaters.com