Cajun Seduction food truck has opened a brick-and-mortar location in St. Ann

Popular local food truck Cajun Seduction, which debuted in St. Louis in May 2021, has put down some more permanent roots. The hub for Cajun delicacies officially opened its doors Aug. 2 at 11188 Old St. Charles Road in St. Ann. 

The new location is offering only takeout for now, but plans to soon open its small seating area, roughly 400 square feet, which has room for about 20 dine-in guests, though timing has not yet been determined.

When it comes to food offerings at the brick-and-mortar, diners can expect much of the same Cajun cuisine that they know and love from the food truck, which will remain in full operation in tandem with the permanent location. The seafood mac, loaded with crab, shrimp and crawfish, as well as co-owner Anastasia Lige’s famous MsPotsNPans shrimp and grits, which includes creamy grits doused in a smoked sausage tomato gravy with shrimp, are menu highlights. Crowd-favorite birria tacos and birria nachos, with a choice of braised chicken, beef or shrimp, will continue to be available on Tuesday and Saturday at the new location alongside a new menu item, stuffed shrimp, which entails stuffed shrimp surrounded by a crab cake. Come September, expect to see seasonal specials seafood dressing and gumbo pop up on the menu in line with Southern tradition. “It’s a Louisiana thing,” co-owner Ken Lige explained. “You can’t sell gumbo in a month that doesn’t have an ‘R’ in its name.” 

Another Louisiana thing is the secret gumbo recipe itself, which has been in Ken’s Baton Rouge-native family for over four generations. The recipe is so sacred that even Anastasia was not allowed to know it for a time. “It was only after 10 years of being together that my mother finally gave her the recipe,” Ken said with a laugh.

Whatever the secret gumbo recipe is, it works, and has brought flocks of ex-Louisianans and Cajun-lovers alike to the food truck for flavorful Southern cuisine that tastes like home. “From the day we started, people have been asking us when we would open up a permanent location,” Ken said. Having decided to devote their full attention to Cajun Seduction’s success this year, the couple began planning for the long haul. “The food truck has been great, but it’s very seasonal. We knew it was time to start thinking about expanding beyond just the summer months,” Ken added. “We’re excited to see where this takes us.”

Cajun Seduction is open Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can also find the Cajun Seduction food truck at our upcoming Sauce Food Truck Fridays on Sept. 9 from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. and Sept. 23 from 3 to 7 p.m.