Louisiane is your podcast 100% dedicated to Louisiana culture and our heritage French language. We interview Louisianans--Cajuns, Creoles, Native Americans, and more--so you can immerse yourself in the unique culture of the Bayou State.
Hosted by Executive Producer Will McGrew.
Produced and distributed by Télé-Louisiane.
Videography by Albaledo Media.
Production support by Ethan Castille.
Speak Louisiana French to Your Kids | Louisiane #13 with Ruth Verdin
Can Cajun French still be passed down to the next generation? Ruth Verdin is living proof that it can. A Native American from Pointe-au-Chien in South Louisiana, now living in South Lafourche, Ruth is one of the rare cases where French was transmitted directly from her parents — and today she's doing the same with her own children. She even speaks French with her sister every day.In this episode of Louisiane, Ruth shares how she's helping revitalize Cajun and Louisiana French through educational videos on TikTok and a growing community on Facebook and beyond — bringing the language of the bayou to thousands of new learners.We talk about:Growing up speaking French in Pointe-au-ChienRaising bilingual kids in Louisiana todayNative American French heritage on the bayouUsing TikTok and social media to save an endangered languageWhy Cajun French and Louisiana French still matterHost and Executive Producer: Will McGrewProducer: Ethan CastilleVideographers/Editors: Ian Ledo and Miranda Albarez📱 Follow Ruth Verdin on Facebook and TikTok🎧 Subscribe on YouTube and support the show at https://louisiane.org➕ Follow Télé-Louisiane on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X—Dans cet épisode du podcast Louisiane, on reçoit Ruth Verdin, Amérindienne de Pointe-au-Chien qui habite aujourd'hui dans le sud de Lafourche. Le français lui a été transmis par ses grands-parents, et elle fait pareil aujourd'hui avec ses propres enfants — elle parle même français avec sa sœur au quotidien. À travers ses vidéos éducatives sur TikTok et une communauté grandissante sur Facebook, Ruth œuvre pour la revitalisation du français cadien et louisianais.#CajunFrench #LouisianaFrench #FrançaisCadien #FrançaisLouisianais #PointeAuChien #Cajun #Louisiane #Bayou #Lafourche #LanguageRevitalization #NativeAmerican #EndangeredLanguages #TéléLouisiane
11 Mar 2026
Donna Dupre: Down the Bayou | Louisiane #12
Today on Louisiane, Will McGrew talks to Donna Dupre about life down the bayou in Pointe-au-Chien. They talk about what it was like growing up in a French-speaking Indian community down the bayou, the connection between Pointe-au-Chien and Ile Jean-Charles, and the new French immersion school in Montague, Ecole Pointe-au-Chien.
Special thanks to Randall Kennedy for sponsoring this episode of Louisiane.
4 Mar 2026
Misty McElroy: Building Bridges | Louisiane #11
Today on Louisiane, Will McGrew sits down with Misty McElroy to talk about the Louisiana music scene, the difference between Houma and Thibodaux, and whether Cajun TikTok influencers are putting on their accent. They discuss building cultural bridges between the different parts of the state. Misty is a professional photographer and founding member of the Cajun Music Preservation Society.
Special thanks to Kenneth Bacon for sponsoring this episode of Louisiane.
20 Feb 2026
Lana Phillips: Vacherie, Louisiana | Louisiane #10
Today on Louisiane, Will McGrew sits down with Lana Phillips to talk about her home, Vacherie, Louisiana. Located along the Missippi between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Vacherie is shaped by the river, fishing, agriculture, and the chemical industry. Lana talks about the history and culture of her hometown, and the diverse community that calls it home.
Special thanks to Melanie Boulet for sponsoring this episode of Louisiane.
9 Feb 2026
Gary LaFleur: Cajun Heritage and the Gulf Coast | Louisiane #9
Dr. Gary LaFleur is a biologist and the Director of the Center for Bayou Studies at Nicholls State University. He joins Will McGrew for a conversation about his roots in Eunice and his career that took him out of state and back. Topics include Louisiana French, the Cajun Triangle and Cajun dance and music culture in Acadiana as well as a discussion on land loss and the importance of the Gulf coast to Louisiana’s future.
Special thanks to Kenneth Bacon for sponsoring this episode of Louisiane.
30 Jan 2026
Pierre Solet: Houma Indian Heritage and Louisiana French | Louisiane #8
In this episode of Louisiane, we sit down with Pierre Solet of the United Houma Nation for a wide-ranging conversation about language, place, and memory in coastal Louisiana. Pierre reflects on growing up speaking French at home and learning English only once he entered school, an experience shaped by his childhood in Grand Caillou and years spent in an Indian-only elementary school from first through ninth grade.
He traces a working life rooted in Terrebonne Parish—from working at a local shipyard to running a grocery store—and speaks candidly about life in Dulac, a community transformed repeatedly by hurricanes and coastal change. Throughout the conversation, Pierre returns to what has endured: family, language, and the importance of preserving Indian heritage in Louisiana.
20 Jan 2026
Grant Ordoyne: Launching a Podcast, Cajun Fiddle & Chackbay Roots | Louisiane #7
Grant Ordoyne joins Will McGrew to talk about growing up in the tight-knit community of Chackbay, his college years at Nicholls State, and launching the Grant O Show Podcast. They discuss learning Cajun fiddle, the endless debate over whose gumbo is best (spoiler: everyone's is different), and Grant's conversations with Louisiana legends like Kyle Crosby and Chubby Carrier.
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🎧 Listen to Louisiane on all platforms📱 Follow Télé-Louisiane: @TeleLouisiane🎙️ Follow the Grant O Show Podcast: @thegrantoshow
#Louisiana #Cajun #CajunFiddle #Podcast #Chackbay #NichollsState #Gumbo #CajunCulture #GrantOShow
10 Jan 2026
Clairrita J. Raphael: Creole Language, Gumbo, Catholicism & Community in Vacherie | Louisiane #6
In this episode of Louisiane, we spoke with Clairrita J. Raphael about Creole cooking, the Louisiana Creole language, hurricanes, family, community, and her Catholic faith in her hometown of Vacherie, nestled on the river between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
22 Dec 2025
Steve Riley: Cajun French, Dewey Balfa, Dennis McGee, and the Next Generation | Louisiane #5
In this episode of the Louisiane podcast, we talked with one of the leading contemporary Cajun musicians: Steve Riley.
In this exclusive long-form interview in both English and French, Steve spoke about growing up in Mamou, learning how to play music from legends like Dewey Balfa, Marc Savoy, and Dennis McGee, and passing on Louisiana music to the next generation.
Steve also shared with us some of his process in writing songs in French, stories from his world travels, and the history of his band the Mamou Playboys.
Subscribe and support our show at Louisiane.org.
5 Dec 2025
Kenneth Pitre: Farm Life in the Cajun Praire, "The Americans," and Lakeview Park | Louisiane #4
On this episode of the Louisiane podcast, we speak with Kenneth Pitre, a lawyer and advocate for Cajun French language and culture based in Eunice, LA. Born in Swords in the countryside near Eunice, Kenneth talks to us about life growing up and going to school in the agricultural prairie region surrounding Eunice at the crossroads of St. Landry, Acadia, and Evangeline Parishes.
Kenneth also talks about the evolving role of French in the legal profession, commerce, and public life, his visits to Acadia, Canada, his marriage to an English-speaking "American" who learned French, and his work with his children to keep their local culture and community alive and vibrant at Lakeview Park & Beach.Support our fight to keep Louisiana language and culture alive and access exclusive content at louisiane.org.
Special thanks to Le Grand Hoorah and Lakeview Park & Beach in Eunice.
28 Nov 2025
Janie Luster: Down the Bayou Life as a French-Speaking Houma Indian | Louisiane #3
Janie Luster is a Native American culture bearer and palmetto basket weaver from the United Houma Nation. Born in Dularge, LA, she helped revitalize the tradition of basket weaving in her Tribe, and she is a fluent speaker of Louisiana French.
In her first long-form interview in her native French, we spoke about growing up down the bayou with family who made a living trapping and shrimping, coastal erosion, the rise of the oil industry, and displacement and population loss caused by environmental and economic challenges.
We also discussed her experience during school integration as a Native American, her relationship with her brother former Houma Tribal Chief Kirby Verret, and her work breathing new life into the palmetto basket weaving tradition of her Tribe.
Support the show at louisiane.org where you can watch all episodes 48 hours early and ad-free as well as exclusive content only available to paying subscribers.
23 Nov 2025
Geno Delafose: Why French Still Matters to Zydeco and Cajun Music | Louisiane #2
Geno Delafose is a Grammy-nominated zydeco musician and accordionist, known worldwide for his signature sound combining Creole, Cajun, and even country influences. Born outside of Eunice to the Delafose family, Geno learned music and the French language at home, one of the few local stars still able to speak the language fluently.
In this exclusive long-form interview in Louisiana French, Geno talked with us about family life, the importance of French to Cajun and Zydeco music, touring the world, life as a real cowboy in Evangeline Parish, and much more.Special thanks to Le Grand Hoorah and Lakeview Park & Beach in Eunice, LA.
14 Nov 2025
Dustin Dale Gaspard: Singing in Cajun French on The Voice | Louisiane #1
Dustin Dale Gaspard made history this season on The Voice when he sang in Cajun French—a first for NBC’s flagship national singing competition. In this premiere episode of Louisiane, we sat down with Dustin at Suire’s Grocery in his hometown of Cow Island to discuss growing up in rural Vermilion Parish, his behind-the-scenes experience of The Voice, his relationship with coaches Niall Horan, Michael Bublé, Reba McEntire, and Snoop Dogg, what Cajun culture means to him, and why and how he learned the French language of his grandparents.
Support our fight to keep Louisiana's language and culture alive at louisiane.org.
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