Terrell Amos rushes into Gumbo to Geaux on a mission.

Without bothering to pick up a menu, he orders enough shrimp etouffee and gumbo to feed 40.

“You don’t want to taste it first?” asks Chef Jeff Moreau with a laugh.

A sample of the restaurant’s wares is brought out for tasting and after the first bite, Amos sighs with contentment.

“It takes me back home,” he said. “There’s no comparison.”

A transplant from Baton Rouge, La., Amos, 35, has been waiting for the grand opening of Gumbo to Geaux with great anticipation.

“I’m just excited to have a place right here where I can go to get just a little piece of home,” Amos said.

Moreau said his restaurant provides just that—a small piece of Louisiana flavor right here in Bartow County.

“When people pull up outside they don’t know what to ex-pect,” Moreau said. “You come and it’s a great way to experi-ence Louisiana without leaving Cartersville.”

Gumbo to Geaux has been open for less than a month and Moreau said Amos is among the many who stop by for Cajun-style cuisine.

With a menu compete with red beans and rice, crawfish and even boudin (packed with rice and pork), Gumbo to Geaux is a little piece of the ‘Big Easy’ in the heart of downtown Carters-ville.

Located on S. Tennessee Street, Gumbo to Geaux has found a home—and a few fans.

With a décor that reminiscent of Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras, Gumbo to Geaux serves up a hearty helping of Cajun.

Moreau, who moved to Car-tersville two years ago, uses his own family recipes in many of the menu items.

Gumbo to Geaux owner Beth Swanson said it took a scant 65 days to find the right location and get ready for grand opening. Since then, the restaurant has progressed at a rapid pace.

“It’s really weird how it’s all come together,” Ms. Swanson said.

Growing up in Lake Charles, La., Moreau said he learned the craft of cooking from family, particularly his grandfather.

“He built a kitchen out behind his house and every week about 20 of his friends would come by and he would cook and play the accordion,” Moreau said.

Another influence on Moreau and his decision to open a Cajun cuisine restaurant was his brother Charlie, who passed away from melanoma cancer in 2005.

“He loved food,” Moreau said. “Before he lost his battle he said to me, ‘If I beat this thing, I’m going to do something that makes me happy.’ He never got to see his dream so to a large extent there’s a lot of influence.”