From past to present, family heritage and community remains the motivation for Ashley and Chris Vanderbeck, the owners of Hap’s Cajun Meats & Market in League City.

Looking back

The husband and wife are from Louisiana and their lineage can be traced back to Nova Scotia, Canada, the original home of the Acadians.

These French settlers migrated to Louisiana during the 18th century, and their cultural influence combined with other groups in the area to create a rich and new culture, the Vanderbecks said.

“The Acadians were known for taking what they could find in the swamp and in the field, and turn it into something delicious,” Ashley Vanderbeck said. “You had your French roots, which is butter and gravies; and then you had your Native American roots; your Spanish roots; your West Africans—it all melded together and became the Cajun culture."
The Vanderbecks come from Lousiana, but have built their family home in League City. (Asia Armour/Community Impact)
The Vanderbecks come from Lousiana, but have built their family home in League City. (Asia Armour/Community Impact)
How it started


The Vanderbecks have lived in League City since 2011. They started their business two miles away from their family home in August 2022.

Located along Main Street, near League Park and in the city’s historic district, many of their now regulars noticed the store from driving by, the owners said.

“Our dream was always to have that main street feel,” Ashley Vanderbeck said. “Just that local, little corner store that everybody knows.”
The Vanderbecks pay tribute to their family heritage with the products they offer and even the name of the store. Their grandfathers photos adorn the walls of Hap's Cajun. (Asia Armour/Community Impact)
The Vanderbecks pay tribute to their family heritage with the products they offer and even the name of the store. Their grandfathers photos adorn the walls of Hap's Cajun. (Asia Armour/Community Impact)
Their intention was to bring a piece of Louisiana to their League City community, they said. The store is named after Ashley Vanderbeck’s grandfather, whom everyone called Hap and who taught her everything she knows, she said.

“It’s our heritage. This is what we grew up with back home,” Ashley Vanderbeck said. “Everybody goes to Louisiana for the boudin and for all the good food, so we wanted to be able to bring that here.”
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Craving Cajun cuisine?

Hap’s Cajun Meats & Market carries products from Louisiana—including spices, sauces, frozen meats, and pre-made meals of seafood gumbo, red beans and rice and crawfish boil queso. Hot food items include boudin balls with a remoulade, pistolettes, sausage links and meat pies.
In addition to spices, sauces, pre-made meals and frozen meats, the business started selling lunch and breakfast in summer 2023. (Asia Armour/Community Impact)
In addition to spices, sauces, pre-made meals and frozen meats, the business started selling lunch and breakfast in summer 2023. (Asia Armour/Community Impact)
The store began serving lunch every day in summer 2023. The menu boasts salads, po’boy sandwiches, Cajun jambalaya and crawfish etouffee.

Every Saturday, the shop offers breakfast from 8-10:30 a.m. It features shrimp and grits, sausage biscuits, and biscuits and gravy.

“Everything—the gumbos and jambalaya and etouffee—everything is my recipes,” Ashley Vanderbeck said. “It’s what I was taught. ... It brings back memories of watching my Maw Maw [and my Mama] do it.”