After spending 15 years building her brand at The Cakelady’s Kitchen, classically trained chef Tia Fulghum-Emery is planning to open The Ville Bar & Gar this fall in St. Francisville.
Although Fulghum-Emery known as the Cakelady, her cake business started almost by accident. After leaving her job may years ago, Fulghum-Emery started selling plate lunches to friends.
“On my plate lunches, I would always put a slice of cake,” she told What Now New Orleans. People would always ask me about the cake, and then they started ordering just the cake. So, that’s kind of how the cake business grew from there.”
The Ville Bar & Grill will offer gourmet hamburgers as its signature items. The burgers will be made with a blend of brisket and short rib meat to give them a luxurious texture and deep flavors. Atop these burgers, you can expect to see things like roasted pineapple-mango salsa, jerk-seasoned mayonnaise, sautéed onions, and Detroit-style chili. The chef and owner will also be going back to her roots with daily plate lunch specials for $9.99, which will include entrée, two sides, choice of bread and a slice of pound cake. The Ville will also be open for breakfast; serving scratch-made buttermilk biscuits and other morning treats. Fulghum-Emery also said a full bar will be available after approval of a state liquor license.
While all that savory deliciousness sounds great, don’t think that the chef and owner won’t be flexing her pastry skills as well. The Ville will have homemade cheesecake, cakes, and banana pudding.
“I just want the restaurant to be a community meeting spot,” Fulghum-Emery said. “We welcome everybody and want everybody to enjoy themselves. We want people to come in with friends and meet some new ones.”
