Cajun Belle thriving in Johnston after Texas man makes Iowa his home

Owner Zack Hollier poses for a portrait in the drive-thru window at Cajun Belle on Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Johnston. (USA Today via Reuters Connect)

By USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

April 16, 2026

From filé gumbo to kolaches: Get to know the food from Zach Hollier at Cajun Belle

Zack Hollier’s southeast Texas drawl can lull you into a dreamy state as you listen to him share tales of the dishes his grandmother used to make. Those same dishes bring back memories of his childhood on the bayou, hunting squirrels and fishing for crawfish in his hometown of Beaumont, Texas, northeast of Houston and on the border of Louisiana.

Cajun cooking dominated his childhood. “I was always in the kitchen. I’ve always been a curious fella. Never real smart, but never afraid to ask why,” he said, joking.

“I grew up off the land,” he said. “We hunt. We fish. We trap. Very simple living. We were such a poverty-stricken family.” His home nestled between the foothills of the Piney Woods and the Gulf Coast with marshlands everywhere provided the landscape for his culinary adventures.

“When I lived with my grandparents, we had bass boats tied to the front porch,” he said. “Three good days of rain and my walk to the bus stop was a boat paddle.”

Hollier learned how to cook early, and when he didn’t know how to make something, he’d ask. “Growing up and always being around wildlife and knowing how to cook taught me how to make the things that I made. I wanted to feed people,” Hollier said. “I didn’t know the difference until I got up here and then went back home.”

The story behind Cajun Belle opening in Johnston

His restaurant, Cajun Belle, is a direct result of his upbringing. He wanted to bring something to Des Moines that was missing — Cajun food. The tight menu includes po’boys stuffed with shrimp or catfish, hushpuppies, cornbread, and fried catfish, gator and frog legs served with a side of Cajun fries, platter style.

The star of the show is the filé gumbo that uses filé, a spice made from dried and ground sassafras leaves that adds flavor and acts as a thickener. “The more you cook it, the more the flavors develop,” he said.

He loves gumbo so much that his grandmother chastised him for eating it too soon. “If I’m impatient, I usually always eat it before it’s cooled down,” Hollier said. “It reminds me of being in the kitchen. … I would stick my hands in the gumbo, get me a spoonful, and burn my mouth, ruin my palate.”

Jambalaya with andouille sausage, pork shoulder and chicken thighs comes in a close second.

Kolaches come stuffed with savory andouille sausage and cheese or a spicy jalapeno version, while sweet options include peach cobbler, lemon, blueberry and sweet cream cheese or Nutella.

“Whether I was bringing food to work or what I was eating back in college at 2 a.m. during an experiment and I’ve got roommates over, I just always find myself cooking and want to feed people because that’s the best way I can love,” Hollier said. “Food brings people together. And I like people so I try to contribute to bring people together and put a smile on their faces.”

How Zach Hollier went from southeast Texas to Des Moines

Hollier landed in Des Moines when he signed to play football for the Grand View Vikings. The linebacker and safety was part of the 2013 National Championship team that defeated Cumberlands (Kentucky) 35-23. He tore his meniscus twice his freshman year and ended up red shirting.

The transition from southeast Texas to Des Moines was not easy for him.

“I learned that I was different,” Hollier said. “I kind of talk different and the second day I was up here I held the door open for these ladies and you know, other students. I held the door open for a minute. People said. ‘You must not be from here.’”

Four months into his first year at Grand View and Hollier wanted to leave. “I looked at myself and said, ‘Look, you said you’re gonna come up for four years. You’re in year one so I guess you’ve got three more years before you decide to leave,’” he said to himself. “I didn’t want to stay. But I asked myself, ‘What are you going to go home to?’”

He stayed. And he’s still in Des Moines with Cajun Belle, which celebrates its third year in May. The drive-thru only restaurant in Johnston sits close to I 80-35 so customers can grab an order to take home. Diners can even order their food in advance so it’s ready when they drive up. His morning hours on Thursday through Saturday give him a chance to serve breakfast dishes, namely, his beloved kolaches.

Come May, he’ll be back at the Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market in his same booth near Fourth Street on Court Avenue. Hollier himself dons his cowboy hat and boots as he serves customers, and greets every customer as if he’s welcoming them into his kitchen.

What to order at Cajun Belle

Filé gumbo, $8.99 to $16.99 with seafood: “It’s a warm hug in the bowl. It’s my childhood. It’s what I grew up on,” Hollier said of his gumbo. “When I see gumbo, I see the bayou.” The heart of the Cajun Belle menu is a dish that tenderly simmers on the stove, steeped in filé, with andouille pork sausage and chicken thighs cooked with the Cajun trinity — onion, celery, and green bell pepper — that forms the roux. Step it up with seafood, in this case, shrimp and crawfish.

Jambalaya, $8.99 to $14.99: Hollier’s jambalaya features andouille sausage, pork shoulder and chicken thighs. Creole versions of jambalaya rely on tomato, but Hollier’s Cajun jambalaya uses Worcestershire sauce. The dish comes with rice. “Let the rice soak up all that flavor, and reach for a big old spoon, get a pair of stretchy pants and have it,” Hollier said.

Kolaches, $3.50 to $4.25 for savory; $2 to $7 for sweet: Hollier describes southeast Texas as having the largest population of Czech immigrants in the country, and kolaches were the second word any southeast Texan learned. Savory versions come stuffed with andouille sausage and cheese or a spicy jalapeno version, while sweet options include peach cobbler, lemon, blueberry and sweet cream cheese or Nutella. Hollier makes his kolaches from scratch.

Fried boudin balls, $4 for two: The cornmeal-dusted sausage balls are a Cajun classic.

Cream cheese and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos boudin balls, $6.99: Hollier described these as Cajun crack balls, but notes they do not contain crack. Boudin, a Louisiana sausage, comes blanketed in cream cheese and breaded in Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

Po’boys $10.99 to $14.99: These traditional sandwiches feature a crusty on the outside, soft on the inside bread that is homemade. Find them stuffed with catfish, shrimp, chicken or the Pine Island, filled with a quarter pound of boudin and smoked andouille sausage.

Hushpuppies, $3.99 for four: Find deep-fried balls of cornmeal-based batter on the menu as a great side dish.

Cajun Belle Secret Sauce, 25 cents: Hollier combines jalapeno, serrano peppers, spice and ranch dressing for this sauce with a kick. Try it with the boudin.

“I make sure that everything we do is authentic,” Hollier said.