Vee’s Donuts and Bakery: Take One Bite

By Chaney Ferguson
Editor, The Times of SWLA



On every purchase from Vee’s there is a sticker that says, “One Bite and We Gotcha!” What a true statement.

Vee McNabb is a natural when it comes to bakery delights. She began her donut experience many years ago at Nelson’s Donuts in Lake Charles.

“I was recently divorced and I had to get a job to support my children. I started out working counters,” said Vee.


When she took that position she had no clue the future in store for her. After many years of working her way up to management and making donuts at several different locations between Lake Charles and Sulphur, Vee finally ventured out on her own.

“When I first got started I had just donuts. Then I had some people from Texas come and ask me if I did kolaches. I told them no but I would love to learn how, but my salesman didn’t like the idea. He said those would never make it in Louisiana because that was Texas stuff.”

Vee learned how to make kolaches and many other breakfast foods that keep customers coming back for more.

Throughout the years, the business has expanded to more than just breakfast foods; they’ve ventured into making sandwiches. Vee attributes these changes to her wonderfully supportive family.

“I have four children and all of them know how to make donuts, but my boys didn’t want any part of it. They wanted to go out and get their own jobs so my daughter came in with me.”

The business has always involved Vee's family. Her daughter Catina, son-in-law, Lewis, and grandson, Jake, have been the most influential in how the business has changed.

Lewis previously worked for the Sulphur Police Department and he was primarily responsible for finding the property in which they currently reside.

Customers will also want to thank him for his decision to add sandwiches to the menu.
“When my grandson, Jake, was born, his mother went back to work so he would come here and I would put him in the infant seat. As he got older, he wanted to help so he would go out and wait on all the customers.”

Vee remembers how Jake never needed a registry to remember all the prices of everything. He recognized the customers, knew what they wanted and always knew the price.
“He stayed in the shop with us. Now he’s twenty-one and he and my daughter do most of the business.”

While Jake grew up working in the shop, he came up with many of his own ideas. Once again, the business started to branch out into new tasty treats.

“We integrated different things into the menu as my daughter and grandson came up with it. Jake is very talented and has all kind of ideas.”

Evidence of Jake's talent hangs on the wall in Vee's. An article entitled Jake's Cakes written by the American Press reveals his ability for creating cake masterpieces.

Vee says they used to make specialty cakes, but it became too much for them with all their other responsibilities.

“We’re now doing salads and sandwiches and we have a chef who makes our soups for us. We make brownies, cookies, and small individual cakes. We still do a chocolate-chocolate cake with strawberries, and Italian cream. cakes. Everything you can think of we do.”

The secret to the delicious food is Vee's homemade bread. She doesn't take any shortcuts in her baking.

“We wake up at 1 A.M. My daughter comes over and we brush our teeth, wash our face and put on clothes. By 1:20 we are at the shop. We make our doughs and then sit down and drink coffee. After that we don’t sit down until time to go home.”

While Vee goes through the process of patiently waiting for the donuts to rise and be prepared, her daughter, Catina, begins on the biscuits, croissants, and kolaches.

Vee and her family have their schedule worked out from years of practice. She used to work seven days a week, but now she allows herself Sunday and Monday off work.

“We go to bed around 7 P.M. and wake up at 1 A.M. My family is on the praise team. at Christian World and they go to practice on Tuesday nights and church on Wednesday nights so I stay home and let them sleep until 4 A.M.”

Vee's frequently gets large orders from the plants, car dealerships, or Sulphur High School. At these times the group maintains an all-hands-on-deck attitude and the little shop is buzzing at 1:20 in the morning.

The first rush hits every morning at 6 A.M. when the first wave of workers pulls in the drive-thru. Vee set up her shop with two drive-thru windows. On one side the driver pays and by the time they pull around to the other window their order is waiting for them.

Around 7 A.M. the school crowd arrives with parents and kids grabbing a homemade breakfast before their day begins.

“I've had moms tell me that their kids wouldn't eat the donut holes they buy from other places,” said Vee.

Catina says the secret her mom uses really is love because of how much time and patience Vee has while making the baked goods.

“I wouldn't want to sell anything I wouldn't eat myself,” said Vee.

One rule about working at Vee's is to never sell a donut that is in the case when there are still warm ones in the back. Customers need to get there early before they run out.

In addition to all the delicacies, Vee's also creates beautiful gift boxes for special occasions such as homecoming. They truly can do it all.

“If it wouldn’t have been for my daughter, son-in-law, and my grandson I wouldn’t be here with the business like I am now. The blessings I've received are because of all the help I have from them.”

For a sweet treat or an amazing sandwich, stop by Vee's Donuts and Bakery at 1290 E. Napolean St. in Sulphur or call 337-527-3177. Store hours are Tuesday-Saturday from
5 A.M. to 4 P.M.

Flooring & Design Center, Inc.

By Chaney Ferguson
Editor, The Times of SWLA





Fifteen years ago Gisela Ryland moved all of her furniture out of her house and created a beautiful showroom full of her treasures.

“Gisela worked for a design company in New Orleans and then opened a design firm in Alexandria. When I married her son and we had the first grandbaby, she closed the design shop in Alexandria and moved here and opened one,” said Stacey St. Amant, owner of Flooring & Design Center, Inc.

“She came from Germany when she was 18 and went to school in New Orleans. When I met her in ’78 or ’79, she was doing kitchen cabinet design and she and my mother worked together,” said St. Amant.

St. Amant worked with her mother-in-law in the design business. The showroom was full of antiques, crystal, and Persian rugs.

“She was there for five years and then she started doing a lot of big commercial jobs. We did about four of the hotels here in Sulphur, the Lake Charles airport, and the federal courthouse,” said St. Amant.

The two women stayed in the small building on Beglis Parkway for five years before moving to their current location at 1401 Cypress Street, in Sulphur.

St. Amant said that with each new job the business took a natural turn in the direction of flooring.
“Slowly we began to fill the showroom. As we took on more projects, everything started to involve flooring so we noticed how the flooring aspect began to encompass the rest of all the things we were doing,” said St. Amant.

After ten years of being in the same building, St. Amant and her husband have taken over the flooring end of things.

“We have been involved in flooring for 12 years. Gisela still does the design, but her end is a separate business,” said St. Amant.

Cathy Morton joined the team a couple of months ago and is excited to work with her best friend, Stacy.

“Our husbands install together and that’s how we met. We worked together at a flooring store in Moss Bluff,” said Morton.

The two women are trying to redefine what the business is known for. Many in the Sulphur area still believe it is a high-end design business, but St. Amant and Morton want to set the record straight.

“If you are building a $2 million dollar home or if you need carpet in your camper, we can handle it,” said Morton.

“We are trying to send the message that we still do design, but that is not the forefront of what this business is all about. It hasn’t been for a long time,” said St. Amant.

The two shared people’s reactions when they walk into the store for the first time. They believe many people are surprised at the large selection of flooring they actually have.

“We have a large selection of hardwood, laminate, ceramic and natural stone,” said St. Amant.
It is clear from their enthusiasm and their background experience that they love what they do. The business may be more flooring than design, but the two women love to assist in design decisions without additional cost.

“When people come in, we try to get a feel for what they are looking for. If they are building a house they lay out their blueprints and we get a feel for what they see in each room,” said Morton.

“I have a customer, a single man, that came in and he said he wanted wood almost everywhere. So he brings his plans and he tells me where he wants the wood. We picked out countertops, carpet, slate, kitchen granite, and all the paint colors,” said St. Amant.

“He doesn’t pay a design fee. He is just paying for the floors,” said Morton.
St. Amant and Morton are more than happy to help with design preferences and they know how to work with a budget.

Builders will come to the women and give specifics on what is needed, but they also include the budget they are working with.

“We are hard to beat price-wise,” said Morton.

“We still have the $12 square foot tile, but we also have a 99 cent square foot tile. If we have to come down, we can,” said St. Amant.

One of the perks of choosing Flooring & Design Center, Inc. is that it is basically a one-stop shopping experience.

The women have enough experience to know what they are talking about and they enjoy their work.

Morton says they are the ones that go out and measure the houses, and they also get an idea of the layout and design of the house by being there.

If the house is being built and the customer is making paint sample choices and other decisions the women will create a list for them.

“We will send them home with a typed list, and they can take it to their builder or we can deal with the builders ourselves. I don’t mind doing it because I’m just happy to have that man’s business,” said St. Amant.

Starting in the fall St. Amant and Morton are signing up for online classes.

“We want to be CID certified in interior decorating. We want our customers to know that something looks good because we have had the training and not just because we think it does,” said Morton.

“We use Gisela as a resource for design questions. She is here so we ask her advice about what works and why,” said St. Amant.

With so many resources at their fingertips, the women are hard to beat when considering their experience, talent and enthusiasm.

Whether it is flooring needs or design assistance, Flooring & Design Center, Inc. is the place to visit. It doesn’t matter how big or how small the project is with St. Amant and Morton helping, all creative needs will be met.

For more information visit Flooring & Design Center, Inc. at 1401 Cypress Street in Sulphur, or call (337) 528-1077.