ABBEVILLE, La. (KLFY) -- Dupuy's Seafood & Steak will be getting a visit from America's Best Restaurants this week. The restaurant's owners, Jody and Tonya Hebert, are inviting the community to come out in support.

America's Best Restaurants is a national media and marketing company that focuses on bringing attention to local, independently-owned restaurants. Its roadshow will be at Dupuy's on Tuesday, Dec. 17 from 2-5 p.m.

Popular dishes will be highlighted, along with an extensive on-camera interview with the restaurant's owners about the restaurant's special place in the community. The episode will be aired on social media channels at a later date.

Tonya said the restaurant was nominated by local Paula Foster, who raved about the food and experience as a whole.

Foster's review read:

"This place has the most incredible authentic Cajun seafood, steaks and bread pudding. The food is simply flawless, and service and ambiance is like feeling the heartbeat of Cajun country. A true and genuine Louisiana experience that is second to none."

Tonya said they are looking forward to the experience.

"We're excited about it. We were approached and asked it we would like to do the show. Obviously, we'd love to bring attention to our business and our community, which means a lot to us," Tonya said, and that the community is the "backbone of everything that we are."

"We have a lot of local support," she continued.

Tonya and her husband, Jody, have been involved with the restaurant for about 25 years.

"We bought it in '99 and the community has been our biggest supporter. They stood by us through a lot of stuff and a lot of hard times and allowed us to grow and we appreciate that and we appreciate being part of Vermilion Parish," she said.

Dupuy`s opened in 1869 as an oyster house, operated by Joseph Dupuy, who sold the mollusks for five cents a dozen. The operation ran through generations of his family until the Heberts took over. They ran Dupuy`s for about a year and a half before the opportunity came up to buy the building from the Dupuy family.

Tonya said that they are Cajun and welcome everybody with big hospitality.

"They say we are the friendliest place on earth. Honestly. We've had a lot of people visit us over and over again and actually made Abbeville their home,” Tonya said.

“Campers, RVs that would just travel they actually came here and decided Abbeville was the place they wanted a little house at. So I guess it means a lot to the rest of the people that aren't here every day. They realize how much hospitality we have here, not only in our restaurant but all of Vermilion Parish as a whole," she continued.

"It's something we definitely really focus on, making people feel like they are at their grandmother's house. That's what we hope everyone feels like. They want to come sit down, have dinner, talk, visit and never leave the table."

Janice Choate, a long-time customer, said she and her friends who graduated together in the 60s would go out once a month. Dupuy's is a special place for her and her friends.

“We enjoy the food because we're all true Cajuns and we like Cajun food and this place as authentic Cajun food,” she said. She said her favorite dish is fried oysters. 

Choate said the restaurant's recognition in America's Best Restaurants is well deserved.

“I've known Tonya all her life and I known Jody for almost all of his life; just good people, good restaurants and good food. What else can you say?” she said.

While the menu offers "every type of seafood you can think of," per Jody, the restaurant continues to specialize in oysters, served in several ways. They also offer salads and sandwiches, including po`boys of various styles, soups and gumbos, steaks, combos and platters of seafood prepared fried, grilled, or pan-broiled. 

A top seller, sure to be featured on the episode, is the Eggplant Abbeville Pasta. That's fried eggplant medallions topped with jumbo lump crab and a cream sauce over pasta. 

“We’re just blessed. Excited to be a part of it. It's a big thing for us. It's a really big thing for us. It means a lot. So just happy to be here and that God allows us to have this awesome place and that we have people that surround us that support us,” Tonya said.

The restaurant`s finished episode premiere date will be announced on its Facebook page and will be featured on America's Best Restaurants' website.

Restaurants featured on the ABR Roadshow are selected based on their customer reviews, menu items, social media presence, and level of involvement with their community. They are found through customer nominations, internal vetting or by a restaurant applying to be featured at www.americasbestrestaurants.com.

Dupuy's Seafood & Steak is open Tuesday through Saturday and is located at 108 S Main Street in Abbeville. For more information about the restaurant, visit www.dupuys.com.

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