Norbert's Restaurant Serves Up Good Food and Tradition at Festival International

Photo Caption: Lillie Mae and John Norbert stand outside of the restaurant they founded, Norbert’s, before going to Festival International de Louisiane in 2023. Photo courtesy of Millicent Norbert.

Millicent Norbert was destined to be a Louisiana festival girl, at least if her earliest beginning was any indication.

At the Boudin Festival at Arceneaux Park in Broussard, Louisiana, in 1980, her mother, Lillie Mae, went into labor while working in the booth of the family’s restaurant. Later that day, little Millicent was born.

The restaurant business and festivals have been a big part of her life ever since.

This week, her family business, Norbert’s Restaurant, is serving up plate lunches with foods, such as boudin, meat pies, pork jambalaya and fried catfish at the Festival International de Louisiane in Lafayette. Norbert’s is a popular staple among the nearly 30 vendors at the festival, which opened on Wednesday and goes through Sunday.

“I grew up in this life,” Millicent Norbert said. “I’ve been part of festival culture since I was in my mother's womb, and I've worked every single Festival International for the past 38 years. It's shaped who I am.”

People come from across town and around the world to have a good time, while experiencing different cultures through food, music and the arts at Festival International.

Numerous restaurants applied to become vendors by showcasing their creative menus and the variety of options they would offer the public. Norbert’s is among the many local favorite eateries, including Poor Boy’s Riverside Inn, Bon Creole Seafood and Poupart Bakery Inc. that got the opportunity to serve the crowds, estimated to be between 300,000 and 400,000 each year.

Norbert’s has been impacting lives and writing its own story for more than five decades.  The restaurant was started by Millicent Norbert’s parents, Lillie Mae and John Norbert, who began their journey with the restaurant in 1970 in Broussard, Louisiana, just outside Lafayette.

John and Lillie Mae became a couple in 1968. He was a friend of her sister and began visiting both when Lillie Mae was working. After returning multiple times to play cards, John eventually took a chance and invited Lillie Mae to the movies, which paved the way for a lifelong marriage.

It was years later, in February 1980, while working at the Boudin Festival when Lillie Mae went into labor at their booth and had to leave for the hospital. Her husband took over and continued to work, helping to provide for his then growing family.

After running the restaurant for decades, the couple decided to retire in December 2024, handing the business over to their daughter, Millicent, who has taken over the restaurant and is carrying on her parents’ legacy.

“With that legacy in mind, I chose to carry forward one of the most meaningful parts of what they built—the festival tradition,” Millicent Norbert said. “Keeping it alive is my way of honoring everything they created, while continuing to bring the community together just as they did for so many years.”

She wasn’t reluctant or forced to do it.  She wanted to continue what her parents had started and saw it as her responsibility.

“To be in a position to carry that tradition forward means so much,” Millicent Norbert said. “I’m doing it for my parents and for everyone who came before me—those who worked long days when things weren't easy, who believed in showing up, working hard and serving quality food with pride.”

One of the traditions that has always been a part of Millicent Norbert’s life has been working at festivals, Festival International, in particular.

Restaurants throughout the region battle for a spot to see their name plastered on a booth. With such a demand, the application process is meticulous. Vendors must apply in advance and go through a selection process by bringing samples from their restaurant to present to a panel.

The evaluation includes quality, originality and how well the offerings represent the spirit of the festival.

“Becoming a vendor at Festival International de Louisiane is a detailed and competitive process, but one that's incredibly rewarding,” Millicent Norbert said. “It's not something you can just sign up for; you truly have to earn your place.”

Making the festival once is a massive accomplishment, but to do it for almost 40 years is an even bigger one.

“Norbert's has been part of this tradition for over 38 years, and we may even be one of the oldest vendors still participating,” Millicent Norbert said. “That longevity speaks to the consistency and quality my family has maintained over the decades.”

Another restaurant that has been a regular at the Festival International de Louisiane is Poor Boy’s Riverside Inn, owned by a couple, Lori and Richard Hurst. Starting in 1932, Poor Boy’s Riverside Inn has also established a long legacy in Broussard, earning a spot at the festival for years.

With the suggestion of her husband, who’s been a fan of Norbert’s and often eats there on his day off, Lori Hurst finally got the opportunity to try food from Norbert’s.

“My first experience with Norbert’s was actually attending the festival,” Lori Hurst said.  “We went for many years, and Richard said I had to try his favorite Creole place because they had the best jambalaya. He wasn’t lying! Oh my goodness! We’d eat several [plates] there and would buy some to bring home.”

While working together at Festival International, a relationship started to build, and the former strangers became friends.

“When we started doing the festival, we got much closer,” Richard Hurst said. “They arrived early, worked hard, had been there a long time, and had it all figured out. We came in missing things, not sure quite how things worked, and they took us under their wings and showed us how the festival works.”

Norbert’s Restaurant has become an example not just to Poor Boy’s Riverside Inn, but to many others who work at the festival.

“They paved the path for all the locals at the festival,” Lori Hurst said. “They set the pace and raised the bar. They work hard and have pride, and you can taste it in every bite of that amazing jambalaya.”