BY AUDREY SIMONS I PHOTOS BY CHLOE WILLIAMS
A taste of the Bayou
Have you ever had authentic Cajun food? The type of food that has so much flavor that you want to sing the chef’s praises? Food with spices that linger for days? Crawfish that makes it worth the work of peeling? Jambalaya that heals the soul? Or Boudin that makes you feel like you’re in your Nonna’s house in Louisiana?
That’s what Louisiana native, Matt Coltrin, was missing while he served in the military. Originally, Coltrin thought he would figure out what he wanted to do while being a pole vaulter at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He never expected to go into the military.
9/11 changed the trajectory of his life. On that day he was drawing clouds in an art class for his architecture major when the first tower went down. One of his classmates observed that there weren’t a lot of planes going by that day. This was unusual, considering the nearest airport was Lafayette Regional Airport, a seven-minute drive from campus. As they walked back to the classroom they saw people huddled around a TV. They walked over just in time to watch as the second tower was hit. After that fateful day Coltrin felt an unshakeable call to serve. So after that semester, he joined the military.
“I loved the Air Force. I met lifelong friends. I met people that I admired and what I wanted to be like. And I felt like I was really good at it. The tasks, the jobs they asked me to do, I was pretty good at it,” Coltrin said.
What was supposed to be four years in the United States Air Force turned into 21 years of service. Coltrin served all over the world Iraq, Japan, South Korea, and Washington, D.C. Through his time in the military he found his purpose. But the south was always calling. He wanted to give his family stability, job options for him and his wife and good schools for his young sons. So in 2023 he retired and settled down in Homewood, Ala.
Coultrin always liked to cook, but when he was in the military it became a passion of necessity. No matter where he was in the world he couldn’t find the real deal unless he went home. Food is what brings together people in the South and for Cajuns it’s how people show they care. He learned that early on through his mom and grandmother. He says his mom and grandma were the cooks and they each have food that they can do really well.
“You’ll find a lot of people from Louisiana, particularly Cajuns, [food is] the way that they say, I love you or thank you,” he said.
Initially, he would ship live crawfish to wherever they were stationed and host a boil for his military unit. He showed them how to season it the right way –the Cajun way — so that the crawfish would peel easily and be packed with flavor. When his family hosted football watch parties he’d make boudin. Boudin is something most people outside of Louisiana have never heard of. Boudin is pork, rice, onions and spices in a casing.
“I always call boudin ‘Cajun crack’, because most people have never had it. They look at it, they think it looks weird. But when they taste it, they’re like, ‘Damn, I got to get more with that.’”
And Coltrin was right: his friends and family couldn’t get enough. What started as cooking for his friends in the military led to them wanting more post-service. He started making and selling one pound bags of boudin. That turned into making chicken and crawfish boudin.
But that wasn’t enough. His customers wanted more. He made 12-ounce containers of frozen gumbo so all they had to do was heat it up and add rice. Soon, he added jambalaya, crawfish etouffee and crawfish bisque. These dishes are what he grew up on; they are his roots and he was excited to be able to share that with the local community. In March 2024, he was selling all the frozen goods out of Roll Cajun Boudin grocery store, which was essentially just a trailer.
“It never gets old when people try your food. They say, ‘Man, that’s amazing. Particularly people from the South who can vouch that this is the real deal.’”
The frozen goods weren’t enough either, and people started asking for catering. By August 2024, he turned the trailer into a food truck and called it Acadiana One. This allowed him to do hot-and-ready food as well as catering. Roll Cajun was mobile. Suddenly his passion for necessity was something people couldn’t get enough of. He realized that his customers wanted real Cajun food, not just seasoned chicken called Cajun chicken or flavorless gumbo. In December 2024 he quit his job and Roll Cajun went full time.
“January was looking bad. I barely paid the bills. I was like, ‘Did I make the right choice?’” Coltrin said.
February looked a little brighter and from there every month after did better than the last. By the end of summer 2025, Roll Cajun had completely outgrown their kitchen by selling four or five hundred pounds of boudin each week. In just under two years, Roll Cajun has organically grown through word of mouth.
Coltrin said, “Up until this point, I can still tell you, I haven’t taken out any loans. I’ve literally self-funded everything, and every boudin ball goes back into the business.”
Coltrin ensures Roll Cajun is a place where people can experience joy. Their core values are faith, heritage and joy. Coultrin relied solely on his faith and gave up his stable job to go start this adventure. He values his Cajun heritage, it inspires everything he cooks. He also commemorates military heritage by having military coins embedded into the bar on Acadiana One. And joy is the ability to just enjoy the moment while eating Roll Cajun food.
Coultrin said, “When you’re with us, man, and you’re breaking bread. Enjoy the food, enjoy great company and experience joy. So we say Roll Cajun is a vibe.”
He is most proud of the authenticity that Roll Cajun has kept even with how quickly they have grown. He sources a majority of his products from Louisiana and without all the little touches it ’s not Cajun. Through Roll Cajun food he gives people a chance to taste the bayou.
“My heritage is something that I’m passionate about, and food is the way that we show the world about our heritage,” Coultrin said. On a personal level, Coultrin is most proud of the example he has set for his sons.
“When they get older…if they want to do something crazy and change the entire trajectory of their lives…they’ll have the confidence to try if it’s something that they’re truly passionate about.” Coultrin said.
In early 2026 Coltrin plans to open a restaurant in the old Iron City Grill. In this space he will be able to sling his boudin, have a small freezer section for grab and go meals, sit down lunch and dinner, along with a bar. It also has a small stage which he hopes will be used to host local bands, karaoke and trivia nights. He wants it to be alive with people eating good food, listening to good music and just spending time together.
“I think that’s what also makes us special,” Coltrin said. “If people like good food, they like good times, then they’re gonna enjoy us.”
“When you’re with us, man, you’re breaking bread. Enjoy the food, enjoy great company and experience joy.”
