Amis Grocery has a pulse of ease and an air of convenience. It’s a place to wander into and grab a fresh lunch or a gallon of milk before you head home. Downtown Lafayette’s only grocery store was born, as the name suggests, out of friendship. Co-owners Bradley Cruice and Rachel Brown designed Amis Grocery to serve the downtown community. 

“We are both very invested in downtown Lafayette,” explains Brown. “When our first business closed due to the sale of our leased building, we knew we had to find a new space in which we could come back to fill a need in the community and in our lives. Downtown is booming and we are here to feed the boom.”

The new space they found is located in downtown’s iconic Gordon Square. Inside the bustling boutique grocery store a businessman leaves joking about the drops of gravy on his tie. A chic downtown girl comes in because she heard about the “killer turkey burger.” The shelves are lined with familiar favorites and unique specialty buys. The cooler is stocked with multicolored farm fresh eggs, grass fed beef and Best Stop boudin. The selection boasts a bounty of both essentials and indulgences – and that’s by intention. 

“Being downtown is the center of Lafayette’s cultural melting pot,” Cruice explains. “Being at Amis Grocery connects people through the language of food. We provide residents and visitors with pantry and frozen staples, local goods, healthier options, spirits and daily necessities for engaging in the lifestyle of downtown.” 

Feeding people, and doing it well, is part of Cruice’s family legacy. He grew up in the grocery store business alongside his parents who owned several small stores in New Orleans. He is right at home making sure the store is properly stocked, brainstorming new dishes and laughing with customers. 

There’s a lot of “Wait, what is this?” to be heard at Amis Grocery. They take traditional, classic lunch orders and turn them, ever so slightly, on their heads. There is an element of the unexpected to be found in each bite. The marble rye looks like rye bread as you have always known it, but there’s something about it you won’t be able to stop talking about. The sandwiches and wraps are perfectly dressed and utterly satisfying. While it has yet to make its way to the menu, the Amis Grocery team is perfecting a muffaletta pasta salad. It’s cool and fresh with all of the crunch, brine and tang of New Orleans’ favorite sandwich. Then of course, there’s desserts, like the peanut butter and jelly cookies. Read that again. A rich peanut butter cookie filled with bright jelly. This isn’t a cookie – it’s an experience. Indulging in a PB&J cookie in the terracotta glow of the Gordon Square atrium is borderline narcotic. 

“Our menu has selections that are not duplicated anywhere downtown,”Brown notes. “We make lunches to order in our deli, but also provide quick-service options to grab-and-go like smoothies and chicken salad croissants. If you arrive early enough, Bradley makes eggs and adds them to buttery biscuits for a breakfast treat.” 

There’s something rejuvenating about Amis Grocery. The food is fresh and nourishing, simple yet inspired. It’s a space to catch your breath, to brainstorm or zone out. All the while the light changes in the atrium and footsteps of the well-fed and relaxed echo through the building as they make their way back to Jefferson Street. 

 “When you come to Amis, you should feel like you are our friend coming in to visit over food,” Cruice explains. “You should find what you’re craving, have a little chat about what’s happening in life, and enjoy your meal in the beautiful spaces around us, or grab it to go and get back to your day. It is important that you have healthier options from which to choose, as well as a selection of locally-sourced goods that support neighbors. Your experience should have friendly, fast, delicious and rewarding benefits.”

Amis Grocery is just getting started. The goal is to introduce more local farm vendors for meat, dairy and eggs. There are plans to incorporate vegan specials. Brown and Cruice are looking forward to becoming a staple in the downtown events scene, be it popping at recurring ones or hosting their own. As the excitement and energy of downtown Lafayette continues to grow, continues to boom, Amis Grocery will be there…to feed the boom. 

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MUST HAVE DISHES

The Gobbler Turkey Burger

This is a fresh take on burger and fries. Ground turkey blended with herbs and spices with fixings on a bun. Served with a side of sweet potato fries.

Chicken Salad

It’s a friendly, fruity spin on a favorite. It is served as a scoop with crackers, on a croissant or rye bread, or wrapped in a spinach or wheat wrap.

Taco-Bout Healthy Bowl

Tacos, but make it healthy. Quinoa, edamame, and classic taco fixings with a cilantro-lime dressing. All dishes are best paired with locally-made Magnolia Moon lavender or honeysuckle sweet tea.