Kosher Cajun began over 23 years ago as a marketing experiment Joel Brown conducted out of his mother's two deep chest freezers. Starting with kosher pizzas he imported from Miami, Joel slowly started bringing additional kosher edibles which up until then had been unknown and unavailable in New Orleans.

    Joel then took the plunge–actually two plunges. Just two years after he opened his initial storefront in 1988, he also married his local sweetheart, Natalie. The first version of Kosher Cajun had just 500 square feet of display floor space, with no on-site dining and was not much wider than the single deli display case at one end of the store.

    Over the next 10 years, however, step by careful step, the Browns and Kosher Cajun have ridden a steadily rising wave of renewed interest in kosher foods, first expanding through the wall to the store next door (900 sq. ft.), then to the upstairs for storage (1800 sq. ft.) and more recently building an entirely new and sizable addition to what was the rear of the original store (6000 sq. ft.). Now, in addition to retailing, Kosher Cajun also is the exclusive wholesale distributor of kosher foods and spirits to other stores and supermarkets.

While their business grew, so did their family; Joel and Natalie are the proud parents of three children Ruth, Sarah and Rebecca. But Kosher Cajun still continues to be a family business, Joel’s sister Miriam (while she lived in New Orleans) and then Natalie’s sister Jennifer joined the operation, and come Passover time, Joel and Natalie's entire family pitch in to help restock the shelves and handle the crowds.

And Kosher Cajun has not forgotten the community who helped them to grow into the regional kosher food source it has become. Kosher Cajun supports many Jewish community efforts including the Shir Chadash and Beth Israel Congregations, Torah Academy, New Orleans Jewish Day School and the Jewish Federation.

Shopping at Kosher Cajun...truly a family affair.