Live Catfish With Boudin Balls

Food is culture. It’s memory and identity. But turning tradition
into innovation takes more than a good recipe. It takes
creativity, grit, and a deep understanding of what people crave.


Yvette Bonanno knows that well. She grew up in the Baton Rouge
restaurant scene and that early exposure sparked a lifelong love
for food. Today, she’s combining that experience with
cutting-edge food production as the founder of Crave-a-Ball, a
Baton Rouge-based company turning classic Louisiana dishes into
hand-held, deep-fried, ready-to-serve balls. 


Yvette’s aiming to build Crave-a-ball into the next great
Louisiana food brand.


In business, longevity is no accident. It’s the result of
resilience, reinvention, and often, a strong sense of purpose
passed from one generation to the next.


Darren Pizzolato grew up in the heart of a legacy: Tony’s
Seafood. Darren was born into the business—literally—and has
never worked anywhere else. Over the years, he and his family
expanded Tony’s Seafood into one of the largest seafood markets
in the region, known for its live catfish, award-winning boiled
crawfish.


Darren's family was also a driving force behind the launch of
Louisiana Fish Fry, a brand that went on to become a national
staple before the family sold it in 2018. Today, he’s helping
shape the next chapter of that legacy in collaboration with
Yvette’s company Crave-a-ball.


Food has always been more than just fuel here — it’s a connector,
a tradition, and a way to bring people together. And once a
tradition is started, it’s easy to follow along and stick with
it. 


From Tony’s Seafood, a Baton Rouge staple that has kept the
community coming back for decades, to Crave-a-ball, a new venture
that is pushing the boundaries of boudin ball flavors, both
companies are continuing the legacy of their families while
adding to decades-old recipes.


Out to Lunch is recorded live over lunch at Mansurs on the
Boulevard. You can find photos from this show by Ian Ledo
and Miranda Albarez at itsbatonrouge.la.


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