NEW ORLEANS — There is an old Cajun expression that comes to mind for Isabelle Cossart when thinking back on her life.
"Lache pas la patate. Don't drop your potato. Just hold on, it's burning you, it's hot, but if you just juggle and hold it, and don't drop it - then you'll have something to eat. So just hang in there is what the Americans would say,” Isabelle Cossart owner and farmer of Isabelle’s Orange Orchard explained.
Cossart is a French immigrant living the American dream. She's put in the work, and now - she has plenty to eat! Let's just say, 'Life's been fruitful’ for Isabelle.
She lives on a three-acre paradise in Algiers - an orchard with 631 trees. A little slice of heaven that Isabelle wasn't expecting.
Let's rewind a bit; Isabelle has been showing people around Southeast Louisiana for 45 years. She has her own business, 'Tours by Isabelle'. But in 2005 Hurricane Katrina hit and business stalled. Then in 2007, Isabelle was diagnosed with breast cancer and then in 2009, her husband left with her best friend, who was their daughter's age.
“I'm like, I'm cool. Now, nothing bad's gonna happen for a while. You get three in a row, you know, that's what we say in France. After three, you get a break,” said Cossart.
Her husband had been planting trees on their land for years. In the divorce, he asked the judge for custody of the trees.
Cossart explained that the judge said, “I've been here many years, no one has ever asked for that'. But he didn't get it because he had put the property in my name only, hiding from the IRS. He had forgotten, I didn't know. The judge said there's no issue here - it is in her name only on paper, look. (There's) nothing for me to judge. I was like, 'Yes'!”
But then reality set in. “I'm like what the heck am I gonna do? I already have a business,” said Cossart.
When life gives you lemons
Isabelle was just giving the fruit away when fate intervened one day at yoga class.
“A girl at yoga, who was enjoying the oranges, took some home and her husband was the main chef at Herbsaint, Ryan Pruitt. And she said, 'You know, I brought some home. My husband wants some for Herbsaint, The Link Group is very interested. I'm like, 'You can sell those? Okay, here we go,” said Cossart.
The Link Restaurant Group started buying her fruit for their restaurants. Then came Emeril's Restaurants, and the word spread quickly. So now Isabelle is running two businesses. She says organization is key. On Mondays, she asks her helper what fruit is available?
“So, I start texting the chefs. And it's like an auction. Within five minutes, boom, boom, boom, everything is sold. Then I tell my helper (to) go and pick we sold them. But we don't pick until it's sold. Okay. So it's extra fresh. And the chefs really liked that.,” said Cossart.
The Orchard is 100% organic. They have a moat that wraps around their house, and they get a rake and just rake out the duckweed and put it all around their trees as a natural fertilizer.
And you'll notice crawfish mounds or ant piles around many of the trees. Isabelle doesn't touch any of that. She wants everything just the way nature intended. She certainly doesn't want any pesticides anywhere near the orchard.
Mondays are for inventory, Tuesdays the chefs place orders, Wednesdays the fruit is boxed up and invoices are prepared, and Isabelle delivers on Thursdays and Fridays.
The trees produce blood oranges, Valencia oranges, navels, calamondins, satsumas, ruby red grapefruit, sweet and bitter kumquat, and Meyer lemons. Local chefs use her fruit in so many different ways-- from juices and cocktails to main entrees, garnishes, marinades, and condiments. Sometimes they buy the fruit and then plan a menu around them.
“To see them do stuff with my citrus, it's like wow! It's magic,” said Cossart.
"Lache pas la patate" -- Isabelle didn't give up, and now, she says she's reaping what her ex-husband sowed.
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