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ORAL HISTORY

Isaac Fort

Poupart Bakery

Isaac Fort grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana before moving south with his wife to live near her family in the Lafayette area. After working for a couple years at another area bakery, he joined the staff at Poupart’s, a community institution serving up authentic French fare for over fifty years. Fort relishes the opportunity to balance French tradition with his own innovations.

Poupart’s was founded in 1967 by Francois Poupart, an immigrant from France who was drawn in by the French cultural heritage of the Acadiana region in Louisiana. Isaac enjoys a close relationship with the Poupart family, his coworkers, and an extended family of longtime customers. Now run by Patrick Poupart, Francois’ son, the bakery is a vendor staple at the many annual festivals that are the cultural lifeblood on the Cajun prairie. Isaac stays especially busy during Carnival season, when he and the rest of the bakery staff churn out thousands of New Orleans–style brioche king cakes as well as traditional French galette de rois.