Long before Jeremey Lavoi was an award-winning filmmaker and creating content for Netflix, YouTube (corporate), and ESPN.com, he was surrounded by Cajun music in Lake Charles, Louisiana. His grandparents always had music playing in the background, as the Cajun music culture and traditions were a fabric of life in Southern Louisiana.
After two years at McNeese State University, which is also located in Lake Charles, he transferred to the west coast and to San Fransico State University. It was there where he met his wife, Abby Berendt Lavoi.
In 2007, he worked as a staff producer and editor as part of the Emmy award-winning team at Al Gore’s Current TV when the network won the award for Interactive Television. While at Current TV, he directed dozens of short documentaries.
In 2008, he and his wife started Lavoi Creative, LLC, which is a creative video agency. They work with a variety of arts organizations, ad agencies, media companies, and nonprofits based out of their offices in New Orleans and San Francisco. They have created content for Google, Tunein Radio, ESPN.com, and many others. Some of his television credits include BRAVO, History Channel, MTVu, and Current TV.
While still in San Fransisco, Jeremey and Abby were coming up with ideas for a documentary to film. The two went on vacation to Colorado, where she is from, and they came across a CD with Louisiana Cajun music on it. The idea came to them: tell the story of the vibrant Cajun music scene in southern Louisiana and in Lafayette. With that, Roots of Fire was born. (You can see the trailer below).
In an interview with 64 Parishes, Lavoi said, “Like a lot of other Cajuns in the diaspora, I yearned for the smells, tastes, and rhythms of my homeland.” The Lavois use the Cajun homeland as the backdrop to the film. They filmed in the kitchens, dining rooms, recording studios, and music festivals around Lafayette.
The film began its initial film festival run in 2022. It won awards at showings in Mississippi, Illinois, Colorado, and Brazil. In January 2023, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities named Roots of Fire the Documentary of the Year.
Jeremey Lavoi is the current showrunner and Executive Producer of My Amazing Cheap Date: New Orleans, and Fantasy Homes: New Orleans.
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Comfort food.
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What is your favorite comfort food – your go-to meal?
“You’re either living your culture, or you’re killing your culture,” said musician Jourdan Thibodeaux in the documentary Roots of Fire.
Saving the Cajun music culture and traditions and bringing it into the 21st century is the theme of this film. Roots of Fire offers a look into the accordion-heavy music that has filled the muddy waters of the bayous for generations and the Acadian musicians fighting to keep it going. The music documentary, which is directed by the team of Abby Berendt Lavoi and Jeremy Lavoi, takes us into the dance halls, dive bars, and living rooms throughout Louisiana to learn about this deeply historic music culture.
We’re introduced to Cajun musicians Wilson Savoy, Joel Savoy, Kelli Jones, Kristi Guillory, and Jourdan Thibodeaux. Roots of Fire also features several highly energetic music performances, explores the tradition of Mardi Gras in Cajun country, and gives us a brief history of the music that has had generations of Louisianans toe-tapping and dancing to one of the most purist forms of music traditions anywhere.
From the Roots of Fire website:
In Roots of Fire, a group of musicians honor the rich history and cultural legacy of Cajun music. The genre’s contemporary scene in Louisiana has found mainstream success with Grammy Award nominations and wins, but shuttering venues and aging fans leave some questioning the music’s longevity. This vibrant documentary examines the intersection between music and preserving tradition for future generations, featuring electrifying performances.
(US / 2022 / Directed by Abby Berendt Lavoi & Jeremey Lavoi)
Unrated / 1 hr 25 mins
For more information on the film, and to see how you can get involved, please visit: https://www.rootsoffire.com/
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Eric Olsson is the food blogger of RedBeansAndEric.com. He publishes new recipes and interviews weekly. He has developed recipes and written articles for the famous Camellia brand in New Orleans, Louisiana. He has been mentioned in Louisiana Cookin‘ magazine and has had recipes featured in Taste of Home magazine – with his Creole Turkey recipe being runner up in their annual Thanksgiving recipe contest. He lives outside of Detroit, Michigan, with his wife and four children.
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