BATON ROUGE – Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser will unveil a new flavor of king cake developed through a new partnership with Cannata’s Bakeries and Bayou Terrebonne Distillers in Terrebonne Parish. Prepared by experienced, local bakers, this new flavor of king cake marries the only whiskey made from Louisiana corn and whiskey-infused pecans with the Cannata family’s long tradition of baking the Marci Gras staple. The culinary creation will be named “Ti Can Pecan” in honor of the late Filhucan “Ti-Can” Duplantis, widely regarded as the father of Mardi Gras in Houma.
“The distillery where the whiskey is made is a credit to Louisiana ingenuity, created on the banks of the bayou where decades ago its owner’s great-grandmother made her own moonshine,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “Much has changed for us during the 2021 Carnival season but the king cake tradition continues stronger than ever.”
On Friday, January 22, at 2 p.m., an antique truck loaded with old-fashioned barrels of whiskey and barrel-soaked, whiskey-infused pecans from Bayou Terrebonne Distillers will head for the Cannata’s flagship bakery following a send off that will include a brass band leading a socially-distanced second line.
Noah Lirette, founder of Good Earth Distillers, is using the event to spotlight the historic roots of Houma’s Carnival, joining Cannata’s in naming the new king cake after the man who first brought Mardi Gras to Houma, at a time when mule-drawn floats decked with Spanish moss and other local decorations rolled in the city’s first Carnival parade. The Queen of that parade was Lily Lirette, great-grandmother of Noah Lirette. Miss Lilly’s Prohibition-era whiskey was blended in a fashion the distillery uses today.
“Carnival is all about history and tradition, and the emergence of a new concept that relies so heavily on those special ingredients is worthy of celebrating,” Lt. Gov. Nungesser said.
News outlets are invited to the kickoff of “Ti Can” Pecan King Cake by Cannata’s at 2 p.m., Friday, January 22, at Bayou Terrebonne Distillers, 8043 West Main Street in Houma.