If you've driven past Bless My Soul Cafe, you may have peeped the "for lease" sign in the window. The Creole restaurant, which was featured on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, closed its doors in September but is still catering and operating as a private party venue for now. Owner and chef Marie "Sweet Mama" Janisse says the combination of staffing issues and a drop in business she links to the hit the cannabis economy has taken led her and her daughter Desiree Janisse to shutter the dining room. 

"I had maybe 20, 25 people that were loyal customers but other than that," says Marie Janisse with a dry laugh. She says problems with staffing led to long workdays that were taking a physical toll. "It was me and my daughter carrying the whole weight of the restaurant cooking and serving, and it was killing us both."

Janisse says the Bless My Soul line of sauces are still in production and she has a private holiday party gig this weekend, so she's still working but has no plans to reopen. If you're jonesing for a chafing dish of her mac and cheese, the catering line is 362-1518.