Cook. Eat. Breath.

A love for cooking and a philanthropic spirit to assist in the fight against pulmonary fibrosis led Debi Crawford to undertake the publication of her second cookbook which she has appropriately entitled Cook. Eat. Breathe.
Her first cookbook All you have to do is ... was published in 2010. It was inspired by a blank cookbook that she filled with all her favorite family recipes. In 2020, she decided it was time to use that experience for a second cookbook, driven by the untimely death of her husband, Laddie, who passed away in May of 2015 due to issues connected to pulmonary fibrosis.
Eunice area residents remember Debi as a citizen of the community from 1978 to 2014.
In those years, she made a name for herself locally as the owner of Turning Point, a woman’s clothing boutique on East Laurel Avenue.
Her love for theatre, however, was what endeared her to the Eunice people. At the Eunice Players’ Theatre, she directed numerous productions, including summer musicals. She also served on the theatre’s board of directors and received several awards for her efforts with the theatre.
The 332 pages of Cook. Eat. Breathe. are divided into seven categories: appetizers, vegetables and side dishes, breads and rolls, desserts, main dishes, cookies and candies, and “this and that.” The recipes come primarily from four different parts of the author’s life including her Eunice friends, her high school classmates, her new friends in Georgia, and her family along with contributions from a nationwide cooking group called BBQ and Baking with a Twist.
Crawford’s friends from her years in Eunice contributed greatly to the recipes that she collected for this new endeavor, chief among them is a group of women that Laddie named “The Louisiana Hens.” The Hens are Oliva Dodd, Joan Aucoin Cotner, Mona Siebert, Linda Fontenot, Beth Dodd, Patty Walther, and of course, Debi.
Born Debi LeRay in Baton Rouge, the cookbook author graduated from Mt. Carmel High School in New Iberia.
Her high school classmates remain important to her, and obviously they feel the same way about her, making various recipe contributions for the book.
The most recent part of Debi’s life has brought her to Milledgeville, Georgia, with her two pups, Gunni and Sophie.
Her new friends in the Peach State also contributed to the new cookbook, especially her Knockout Gym family at BodyPlex.
Her children, Jason and Megan, and their families live in nearby Warner Robins and Smyrna, Georgia, respectively. Megan and other family members also contributed to the recipe project.
Copies of Cook. Eat. Breathe. are available for purchase in Eunice at Beaucoup, David’s Hair Salon, and Oliva Dodd’s Studio of Dance. The sale price is $20 with $10 going to the fight against pulmonary fibrosis in her late husband’s name.
Debi will be in Eunice for two days of book signings of her new cookbook Cook. Eat. Breathe. On Friday, April 9 she will be at David’s Hair Salon from 2 pm. - 5 p.m. and on Saturday, April 10 at Beaucoup from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Both businesses are on Second Street in downtown Eunice. Books will be available for purchase at both locations. Locals who have already bought a copy are invited to come by for a visit and bring their books to have them signed. Cookbooks are $20 with $10 per book going to the fight against Pulmonary Fibrosis.