In a city where people take their dessert as seriously as their dinner, one couple is hoping that peach cobbler will be on the list with snowballs and bread pudding.
Christina Branch Brunet and Ernest Brunet opened a location of The Peach Cobbler Factory at the New Orleans Healing Center, 2372 St Claude Ave., in May. It is the first New Orleans location for the dessert chain based in Nashville, and the Brunets are excited to add their twist to the franchise.
The Peach Cobbler Factory was founded by Tamira and Juan Edgerton, New Orleans natives who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina and set down their roots in Nashville. They opened the business’s location in Nashville in 2013, serving desserts made from Tamira’s family recipes.
The Peach Cobbler Factory started at Nashville farmer’s markets before expanding into a food truck. Today, the dessert spot is a nationwide business with plans to open 175 franchises in 19 states.
The Brunets are happy to be a part of the story.
Christina Branch Brunet was born and raised in the ninth ward and studied science at Southeastern University. There, she met her husband, Ernest Brunet, an Algiers native who was studying business.
Ernest wanted to expand the couple’s business portfolio when he saw that The Peach Cobbler Factory offered franchising opportunities.
The New Orleans location of The Peach Cobbler factory opened in May, and, although it’s a nationwide business, Christina made it clear that she has been adding her own New Orleans touches to the menu.
“I wanted to come up with some things of our own,” she said. “Our location is going to have bananas foster banana pudding that will be exclusive to our location. It will be served with a bananas foster sauce that can be put on any of the desserts.”
Christina also plans to offer a king cake cinnamon roll and other flavors that will pay homage to her hometown.
The Peach Cobbler Factory serves more than just its namesake peach cobbler. This spot also has a selection of other cobblers, banana pudding, and cinnamon rolls.
As for the favorites, Christina said that her staff loves the sweet potato pecan cobbler and the cinnamon peach praline cobbler. She recommends the caramel apple cobbler and the apple walnut raisin cobbler. All cobblers are served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
The banana pudding selection is vast, with treats such as peanut butter and jelly, bourbon pecan, and red velvet.
If you want to go decadent, you can get a cinnamon roll stuffed with a cobbler of your choice with ice cream and a topping. Cinnamon roll flavors include classic vanilla, Nutella, apple butter, orange marmalade, and maple syrup.
“When you get the cinnamon roll stuffed you get the best of both worlds,” Christina said. “The best cobblers for the stuffed cinnamon roll are the caramel apple and the cinnamon peach praline.”
Beverage selections include milk and water, and The Peach Cobbler Factory serves Sweet Peachy Tea and cold brew coffee, both made and bottled in-house.
The Brunets want The Peach Cobbler factory to be a spot where customers can come in and get a home-style dessert in a welcoming atmosphere. They plan to open a second New Orleans location and plan to expand The Peach Cobbler Factory to the Northshore and the Hammond/Ponchatoula area.
Christina is excited about the future and adding another dessert option to the New Orleans food scene.
“The shop is a one-stop shop for any dessert lover,” she said. “We’re very welcoming and everything here is good. We want to make the entire experience guilt-free and enjoyable.”
The Peach Cobbler Factory is open Tuesday through Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
