“I knew at some point—I didn’t know when—I knew at some point God was going to give me the opportunity to do it,” he said.
Hailing from Lafayette, Louisiana, Brook brought his love of Cajun food and family recipes to Texas. The Manvel building Honore’s Cajun Cafe is housed in was built in 1997 and originally StoneCo Inc. In 2018, he decided to move his stone business, convert the building into a restaurant and follow his passion.
The recipes are Louisiana favorites. Crawfish is shipped fresh from Louisiana, and platters, such as the Hackberry Special Platter, allow customers to choose meal items between oysters, gator and catfish. Some of them, such as the pepper jack boudin balls, are a family recipe with a twist, Brook said.
His son, Brook Honore Jr., is not yet sure about joining the family business. But his wife of 30 years, Sherry Honore, had no such qualms.
“She’s my rock. None of this could be done without her,” said Brook, gesturing around his restaurant. “From the front, the back, behind the scenes, and even just keeping us sane. She regulates everything.”
Family values and the responsibility to take care of each other are deeply ingrained in Honore’s psyche. During the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brook made a point to look out for his crew.
“We were very fortunate to be able to reach a little deeper in our pockets and make sure they had a check,” Brook said.
The staff and clients at Honore’s Cajun Cafe are diverse both in race and age. Brook said the only things that matter to him are punctuality and a good work ethic, not an arbitrary label.
“Everybody dines with us,” he said.
