Freddie Herpin

Daily World

The Palace Café will be celebrating its 90th anniversary on Saturday, Oct. 7, with all-day menu specials plus a full day of fun activities, including music and much more.

In the 90 years of operation, the local eatery has seen many employees come and go. One special employee that I had the pleasure of talking to recently is Sheryl LeBlanc.

Sheryl has been a mainstay at the Palace for 42 years and plans on being there for many more years to come. On a recent afternoon, she was working the afternoon shift with two of her co-workers, Samantha and Kristi Hebert. For all those 42 years, Sheryl has been a waitress and she treats all of her customers with a welcome to the Palace Café and a warm smile.

“I am a people person,” she said.

She calls her regular customers by their first name. Many are daily visitors to the downtown café and can be found holding court at the large round table located to the right of the front entrance.

In her 42 years at the Palace, Sheryl has met people from around the world.

“I guess it must be the atmosphere at the Palace that keeps them coming back time and time again," she said.

She can remember when busloads of customers would arrive at the café on Saturday afternoons on their way to the LSU football games. Back in the 1950s and '60s, it wasn’t uncommon to have two or three chartered buses filled with Opelousas residents making the 60-mile trip to Baton Rouge to watch the Tigers play.

Sheryl began her employment working for the Doucas brothers, Pete and Steve, and later for Steve’s daughter, Tina.

“Over the years, the menu has changed from time to time, but the favorites — crawfish bisque, fried chicken salad and those famous po-boys — are some of the most requested,” Sheryl said. “And when Steve and Pete were here the, baklava Greek dessert was always the favorite.”

Sheryl said her job at the Palace Café has been a fulfilling one that she continues to enjoy and wouldn’t give it up for the world.

“This job has enabled me to raise my children and my grandchildren,” she said.

“I love Opelousas and I love the Palace Cafe.”

And Sheryl, the Palace Café and its customers, most of whom you know, also love you. Thank you for being you.

Coming Sunday: Don't miss our special feature on the Palace's 90-year anniversary!