Louis E. Corkern Sr. has been selected as the 2025 Mile Branch Settlement Honoree.
Louis, a native of Washington Parish, was born July 27th, 1955, at Stafford Clinic in Franklinton. He is married to Missy Burns of Franklinton. They have two sons, Louis, Jr. and Robert.
Louis grew up farming with his father and mother, Denver and Jeannette Corkern, and five siblings. They grew some of the best watermelons in Washington Parish, grew other vegetables, milked cows, cut firewood, and processed all their own meat. This is where he learned his craft of meat processing and sausage making.
He is a graduate of Covington High School, class of 1973. Right out of high school, Louis went to work as a welder at Avondale Shipyards. He became a master welder. He worked for Hopeman Brothers in San Deigo, California and spent a few years working in the Gulf of Mexico in the oilfield.
In 1981, Louis and a few friends went on a hunting trip to Colorado. When he got home, he made sausages for everyone. This was the beginning of C & C Smokehouse, the business he runs today just outside of Franklinton with the assistance of his beloved family.
In 1978, Brad Orman and Mike Cassidy started cooking "cracklings" as a demonstration for Mile Branch Settlement. C & C Smokehouse (Louis) was asked by Brad to cut 200 lbs. of pork skins and fat for their demonstration. The next year Louis began volunteering to cook the cracklins, along with Brad Orman, Mike Cassidy, Mike Dill and Frank Gendusa ("The Cracklin Crew"). Louis and his crew of volunteers have cooked and sold as many as 5000 lbs. Louis is presently cooking 3500 lbs.
Louis was volunteering in Mile Branch while cabins were still being moved into the Settlement. He is a dedicated volunteer who adheres as closely as possible to the period standards of the Settlement.
He and his crew offer unique experiences for visitors. Visitors who grew up remembering their family making cracklings get to reminisce of times from the days of old. Visitors who never experienced this activity get to learn about a treasured time from their ancestors' past. Cracklin' Cooking is truly the type of experience that Mile Branch Settlement was created to provide for the public.
The Cracklin' Booth is one of the favorite sites sought out by long-time Fair participants. Long lines of visitors can be seen daily during the Fair waiting for those cracklins to come up from those old black pots. Occasionally, you may even see a Fair Queen helping stir the pots.
Louis Corkern and the Corkern family are synonymous with some of the best cracklings available. His entire family has been devoted volunteers in the Settlement for years. His wife, Missy, is always there by his side. His son, Robert, has been helping with cracklings for 25 years. When Louis was called upon to participate in the Pioneer Christmas event, he went above and beyond to offer jambalaya.
Louis has been featured in several Louisiana magazines and newspapers. He has also been on several New Orleans newscasts, including last year with Hank Allen on WGNO. When Louis is wearing his overalls, he has been recognized as far away as Yellowstone National Park, the Smoky Mountains National Park and Maine. He gets this comment: "Hey! Aren't you the man that cooks the cracklins at Mile Branch Settlement during the fair in Franklinton?"
Mile Branch Settlement is honored to recognize a legend, Louis E. Corkern, Sr., as the 2025 Mile Branch Settlement Honoree. Thank you, Louis, for your forty plus years of dedicated efforts to make Mile Branch Settlement a favorite place to visit in Washington Parish.
