Five Mile Eatery is owned by Kelsey Leger and Sarah Trotter. Their restaurant is based on a farm to table concept. Their mission is fresh, organic and local.
I started off with a basil lemon sweet tea and a cinnamon solstice matcha. The basil lemonade was very refreshing. It had a great balance of lemon and basil and none of the ingredients were overpowering the other.
The cinnamon solstice matcha had a strong flavor of matcha with a perfect touch of cinnamon. I am a huge fan of matcha.
Next, I had the Co-Op Burger with manchego cheese added and the River Ranch salad. The bun on the burger was sweet and very delicious.
The patty was tender and juicy. The sauce was a spicy ketchup and basil mayo which tied the burger together. The manchego cheese reminded me of an elevated version of pepper jack cheese.
The River Ranch Salad definitely lived up to its name. It was very fresh. I loved the microgreens and sauce. The apples and cranberries added the perfect amount of sweetness. The walnuts were a phenomenal crunch addition to the salad. It was an impeccable balance of sweet and savory.
To wrap up the meal, I had a brown butter biscuit and a double chocolate cookie. The portion size was huge. The brown butter biscuit reminded me of cornbread. It was moist, sweet and creamy. The cookie was very chocolatey and crispy.
The Co-Op Burger is $14, River Ranch Salad is $16, Basil Lemon Sweet Tea is $4, Cinnamon Solstice Matcha is $6 and Brown Butter Biscuit is $2.
When Sarah Trotter was asked how Five Mile Eatery started, she said “My partner, Chef Kelsey Leger, and I have had quite a few years in the service industry. I worked at Drug Emporium in high school and that was my introduction to substantial, alternative, holistic health. I learned a lot in my time there.
Leger had worked in kitchens across the nation, including throughout New York City and in New Orleans, but eventually came back to her hometown of Lafayette.
“She worked her way up from a dishwasher to the chef at French Press. She worked her way up to the head chef at the Saint Street Inn and she was there for a year or maybe more. So a lot of pop in, farm to table, local sort of kitchen,” Trotter said. “She was the co-founder and head chef of Scratch Farm Kitchen for six years before we met and decided to collaborate on something together. I’ve had some bartending, barista, manager experience in the service industry that has led me to this place. It was a match made in heaven.”
As for the future, Trotter said, “We have a co-op and that is our long term goal. It is to be employee owned. Bob’s Red Mill is a big inspiration for me. There’s a lot of inspiration on how to operate sustainability internally and how you manage your waste. It’s not just about that, it’s about how you treat your teammates. Good people help you do what you want.”
Five Mile Eatery is located at 317 Heymann Blvd., Lafayette, LA 70503. They are open Monday-Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. They are closed on Sundays.
I could taste the freshness in everything I tried. My favorite was the River Ranch Salad. I already love some of their collaborations like Sunny Acres Bread. I’m excited to see where the future takes them.