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About Fee-Fo-Lay Cafe
Our grandparents often told us tales of mystery, hauntings, and down right weirdness about their lives along the Mississippi River. One of their favorite tales was that of the Fille Feoulet (Fee-Fo-Lay), a supernatural being that haunted the families of newborn babies. Strange tales like that of the Fille Foulet, the Loup Garou, and the pirate Jean Lafitte, played a large hand in shaping life in this part of Louisiana, yet these tales are often left out of our area's history. As an homage to our grandparents, particularly our grandmother Grace Alexis Populus, we named our cafe Fee-Fo-Lay Cafe to carry on these stories, connect to our history, and share this odd yet entertaining part of our Creole heritage.
Our Family
The lineage of our family starts with the beginnings of the Creole population in St. John the Baptist Parish. In the early 1700's Europeans, particularly Germans and French, were brought to the area to assist the struggling population in New Orleans. These Europeans were given enslaved Africans to sustain their small farms. Of course Native Americans were already present in the River Parishes. The combination of the cultures formed the first Creole community.
Our family surnames include Alexis, Brown, Populus, Schexnayder, and Celestine. We descend from several local plantations such as Whitney, Laura, and Evergreen. Several of our ancestors were born enslaved. We are continually researching databases, court documents, and church records to learn more about their lives.
Our family is deeply rooted in spirituality, a hallmark of any Creole family. Folklore based in Catholicism, nature, and mysticism were ever present throughout our youth and still are. While entertaining, these stories speak volumes about the culture of Louisiana and its people, especially people like us.
