Evangeline Maid

Evangeline Maid is a bread brand with deep roots in southern Louisiana's Acadiana region. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Huval in Youngsville, using approximately $50 earned while serving in World War I.^[1][2] In 1926, the business relocated to Lafayette, and by 1937 the “Evangeline Maid” name was adopted—drawing on the cultural heritage associated with the Acadian/Cajun region.^[3]

Over the years, the company expanded its operations across Acadiana and introduced various innovations to their product line. For example, under Lafayette businessman Frem F. Boustany Sr. it introduced a resealable bread wrapper and installed a distinctive rotating-loaf billboard in 1960, which became a local landmark.^[1] The bake plant remained located in Lafayette in the same corner of Simcoe and St. John Streets where the company had moved in the 1930s.

In 1976, the business was sold to Flowers Foods (then known as Flowers Industries), a large U.S. bakery company, bringing Evangeline Maid under its umbrella while retaining its regional identity.^[4] The bread continues to be produced in the Acadiana region, and has maintained a consistent recipe and production style over much of its history.

Through its century-long presence, Evangeline Maid has become intertwined with the cultural and culinary fabric of south Louisiana—serving as one of the region's familiar white-loaf breads, and reflecting the region's heritage of local production, family-business roots, and food traditions.^[5][4]