How did a French-Creole born family take over Dallas’ jazziest restaurant district, Deep Ellum, during the 1930s? The influences of New Orleans culture may not be obvious at first glance, but Dallas and the Crescent City have always had a symbiotic relationship since the introduction of the locomotive industry in North Texas in 1872. Trains would often travel between New Orleans, Dallas and out to St. Louis.
Today, Deep Ellum is considered by some to still be “the live music capital of North Texas,” but during the Great Depression, the Works Progress Administration created the Texas Writers Project. The project interviewed and observed over 300 formerly enslaved Black Texans about the culture of the city and published local guides.
Those interviewed spoke of even more ways New Orleanians began to bring pieces of their beloved city with them to Dallas’ Deep Ellum neighborhood, which was founded by formerly enslaved Black people post-Emancipation. Deep Ellum’s reputation as a jazz-focused thriving community is a culture New Orleans natives would have been all too familiar with.
Perhaps they looked at Dallas as a fresh start. The formerly enslaved interviewed recounted the incorporation of hoodoo, conjure and metaphysical stores that lined Deep Ellum’s streets during its infantile stage along with the barbecue and fried chicken joints.
The Darensbourg brothers were a large and gifted family that made Dallas and Fort Worth home, and in return they gave the two cities a small piece of their New Orleans culture. In 1929, Percy Darensbourg, the eldest of the brothers, was a well-known musician during this time who opened a bar in Deep Ellum named Central Tavern Inn. His younger brother Caffery followed three years later and opened the successful Frenchie’s Creole Inn on Boll Street.
Soon after, yet another brother named Irvin moved to Dallas, and by 1935 he had opened the Green Tavern at 217 Central Avenue, just a few doors down from Percy’s bar. The brothers also later opened the popular Gypsy Tea Room Cafe off Central near the present-day intersection at Central Expressway and Elm Street.
Like many other restaurants that began on this busy street, they closed as a result of new developments being made in the city. The businesses that did make it through the Great Depression would have likely been forced to close due to construction of the highways that began in the city and cut through the business district, leaving little to no options for Black business owners during this era.
Today, very few reminders remain of this period in time. The Knights of Pythias building then described as an “imposing edifice” still partially stands today, but it’s hidden behind the posh exterior of the aptly titled Kimpton hotel brand, The Pittman, named in honor of William Sidney Pittman, the Black man who was responsible for a building that partially remains in the shadows today.
Although the culture that the Darensbourgs helped usher in isn’t quite as strong as it once was, New Orleans natives still found their way to Dallas and helped make the D-FW metroplex No. 10 on a list of 50 places New Orleanians are moving to today. They are moving to the city and bringing a beautifully rich culture in exchange for Dallas’ business opportunities.
And although Cajun and Creole foods (and people) are completely different, starting with the spices and ingredients used as staples in their foods, there are plenty of delicious spots to try. Deep Ellum has been home to many Cajun and Creole restaurants over the years, and you can still find food and jazz at longtime Free Man Cajun Cafe and Lounge on Commerce Street.
But for more Cajun cuisine, you’ll have to explore beyond Deep Ellum. Here are a few key restaurants offering classic fare:
Restaurant Beatrice offers contemporary Cajun cuisine in Dallas’ Bishop Arts district and is owned by chef Michelle Carpenter. Their menu boasts “family-style seafood boils” as well as classics like shrimp and grits and jambalaya. 1111 North Beckley Avenue. restaurantbeatrice.com.
Thibodeaux’s: Owners Lewis and Dennen Thibodeaux are excited to bring a bit of Louisiana cuisine to Texas by way of their Cajun restaurant that bares Lewis’ family name. 107 N. Cedar Ridge Drive #106, Duncanville. thibodeauxscajuncookin.com.
Damian’s Cajun Soul Cafe is family owned and operated. They proudly hail from New Iberia, La., and serve “authentic Louisiana Cajun and soul food.” They offer a taste of home like classic gumbo fused with traditional soul food classics. 2001 SE Green Oaks Blvd., Suite 190, Arlington. damianscajun.com.
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