History
Hazel and Wesley Veron started Veron’s Quality Meats shortly after WWII. Initially—Veron's Quality Meats was located on Oak Avenue, in Lafayette Louisiana. For a short period dad closed the store and with the urging of my mother reopened in the early 60's on the corner of Mimosa and Johnston Street in approximately 600 square feet and sold fresh meat, cut “as-you-like-it”, bread and milk. The business expanded and became Veron Enterprises, Inc. Then in 1979 the building caught fire and burned to the ground. If you lived in Lafayette you saw fire fighters fighting the fire on your TV. Within 6 months mom and dad reopened across the street into a 15,000 square foot building recently vacated by a major food chain. From this venue they saw their meat products literally travel the globe. I believe it would be hard to find someone that worked in the oil business beginning in the 60’s up until the year 2000 stationed in the Louisiana, Texas area, that had not experienced a Veron’s Stuffed Pork Chop, or Veron’s Sausage, (which there was BBQ, Italian and Half and Half, and regular) gourmet stuffed chicken breast, Rice Dressing Mix, Head Cheese (made from pork shoulder), and a variety of other specialty items and receive a negative response.
Buying a steak at Veron’s was a treat. You could have it cut as thick or thin as you liked and could pick the piece you wanted it cut from. Imagine asking your chain butcher now to cut up a fryer or halve or quarter and season it. You could watch one of four butchers processing meat and sausage making filets and chatting with customers as they watched their request prepared. Fine wines of over 600 labels were at your fingertips with trained personnel in wine selection assisting even the most discriminating pallet.
Besides the friendly atmosphere and readiness to help, the shoppers could always count on Hazel and Wesley walking the aisles, bagging groceries and chatting with shoppers that had become friends. But the item that piqued the taste buds and got one talking was the seasoning that my father invented in his kitchen. So protective of the recipe he had it written in code and safely hidden within his wallet. New shoppers would come up to the butcher counter and say, “I ate at so-and-so’s house last night and the meat was so good. They told me the only place to purchase this stuff is at Veron’s.”
If you didn’t see my dad in the shopping area he was in the back cooking dressing mix, or head cheese and the aroma was absolutely tantalizing as it wafted throughout the shopping area. If you are over 45 and grew up in a small town you know exactly what I mean. Going to the local grocery store was always a treat where the butchers handed out small cocktail sausages to the kiddies or suckers at the checkout counter if mommy permitted, and one could always catch up on “what’s happening in town.”
Crawfish seasoned with Veron's
Veron’s eventually succumbed to the mega-chain stores that eventually settled in Lafayette, Louisiana. However, we are unique in that we have the seasoning that literally “flung a cravin,” as Brother Dave would say, on the pallet of thousands. Some states and places call it a dry rub, but in the heart of Acadiana it’s called seasoning. In fact when you read recipe’s from Acadian cookbooks it is always “Season your meat, chicken, fish, etc.” never place dry rub. The great thing about Veron’s is that you can put it on anything in amounts to your liking.
For your enjoyment we have five “Official Cajun” products: Lemon Pepper; Garlic; Mesquite; Original; and Hot (and we do mean HOT!). They are low in salt, free of MSG and will enhance the flavor of anything you choose to eat, whether it be beef, fowl, fish, crabs, or crawfish. They are packaged in 8 ounce shakers and can be a secret weapon in your spice rack.
We are sorry you cannot visit Lafayette, Louisiana and experience shopping at Veron Quality Meats or chat with our butcher’s and smell the cooking as it wafts through the shopping aisles but we still have a presence in Lafayette and we are still in business. For those of you who have tried us and moved to other states and have been wondering where can we buy the seasoning and always wanted to try the real thing; we are as close as your phone, or a click on your computer, and hopefully in your local grocery store.
The Veron’s plan to put those great recipe’s that we grew up on in a cookbook that will be available on this website and bookstores. We are also making plans to have available, stuffed pork chops and chicken breast, stuffed brisket, Turducken, our famous dressing mix, Veron’s Headcheese, and each of the special sausages; Half-N-Half, Barbecue, and Italian.
Presently our seasoning is in several locations in Lafayette, Louisiana; Houston, Texas; and Tuscaloosa, Alabama; and now available to everyone on the Internet. If you have any questions, or would like more information about ordering, please feel free to call us at 337-984-MEAT (6328).
