While a bill to designate St. Martinville as the “Pepper Capital of the World” sailed through the House of Representatives during the recent session of the Louisiana Legislature, it never made it to the Senate floor.
State Sen. Fred Mills said there was some concern from Iberia Parish interests and the McIlhenny Co. over such a designation for St. Martinville.
The McIlhenny Co., producer of the world famous Tabasco Hot Sauce, is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year and is a major tourist draw in Iberia Parish.
As a result of those concerns, Mills says he didn’t push the bill in the Senate and has suggested that Iberia and St. Martinville officials get together and seek a compromise or alternate designation.
Fran Thibodeaux, executive director of the Iberia Parish Convention and Visitors Bureau, says she has contacted St. Martinville councilman Mike Fuselier and Danielle Fontenette, St. Martinville’s Main Street director, with plans to meet later this month to discuss the issue.
“McIlhenny is a huge draw for our area,” Thibodeaux points out. “But we’ve always tried to work together with neighboring parishes, including St. Martin, to promote the entire region. Perhaps we can come up with something for the region.”
Fuselier says one suggestion he’s heard was to name St. Martinville the “Pepper Festival Capital.”
“That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, though,” he says.
“Neither Iberia Parish nor McIlhenny has ever sought to be named Pepper Capital,” admits Thibodeaux. “But McIlhenny offers a popular tour of its factory and has recently invested heavily in expanding its museum and other tourism attractions.”
“I know St. Martin Parish is considered the gateway to the Atchafalaya Basin,” Thibodeaux adds. “And we send loads of tourists to your swamp tours. When visitors come to the area, they’re not aware of, nor do they care about, parish boundaries. That’s why it’s so important for us to work together on a regional basis.”
