Mais La, more than a coffee shop, a cozy hub for a local community

Nestled at the corner of Highway 934 and 431 in St. Amant is a Mais La Coffee and Tea Bar, a quant little beverage shop that just celebrated its grand opening earlier this month. From the moment I walked in, the charming and inviting decor hit me as somewhere I knew I would want to start visiting frequently. Behind their delicious drinks and tasty treats is a warm and welcoming gathering place for family and friends to just hang out and catch up, play games, or a nice getaway for someone to work away from home or catch up on the newest book.

Mais La Owner Lindsey Rabalais Delhommer and her husband have known for a while that they wanted to bring a gathering space to the small town just outside of Baton Rouge, but finding the right spot proved to be a bit more challenging. Fortunately, everything worked out, and on September 2nd, Mais La got off the ground running literally. In between brewing up their next batch of custom coffee drinks, I had the opportunity to catch up with Lindsey to get all the tea about Mais La.

Photo byMais La Coffee and Tea Bar

TH: Tell me about how and why you decided to start coffee shop?

LD: My husband and I have been throwing around this idea for several years. With St. Amant being such a small town, finding the perfect space had been impossible.

TH: What is the story behind the name "Mais La"?

LD: The name Mais La comes from a Cajun expression that those Cajun maw maws used to tell us as kids when we were being too much, "MAIS LA!" It translates to "but really."

Pastry counter at Mais LaPhoto byMais La Coffee and Tea Bar

TH: What are some of your customer's favorite menu items to order?

LD: We are selling a lot of our signature drink, the "Golden Grace." It is a shaken espresso drink with locally pulled espresso from French Settlement Roasters, local honey from J & J Apiary, real brown sugar, and organic small bath vanilla syrup.

TH: What will set you apart from other local coffee shops?

LD: We try to stand alone. We are more of a community hub with an amazing coffee and tea bar inside. We have already seen such a big hug of a response from our community.

TH: Where do you hopefully see Mais La in 3 years? Plans to expand? Etc.

LD: We don't see expanding as an option but just growing within our building by having theme nights, open mic nights, and hosting small events for the community.

Photo byMais La Coffee and Tea Bar

Mais La is located at 44018 Gold Place Road in St. Amant, LA. They are currently open 5 days a week, Monday-Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and will be open on weekends starting in October. Make sure to also check them out on Facebook for their specials and upcoming events.