NewBo City Market bakery expands into Cajun food in Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS — It’s an unconventional expansion for a bakery.

K.C. Cakes and Cajun co-owners Krystan Proctor (left) and Alex Cooley in front of their new food stand in NewBo City Market in Cedar Rapids on Jan. 3, 2025. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

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An alligator head takes a bite out of a crocheted cupcake in a piece of decor that cogently summarizes K.C. Cakes and Cajun at the eatery's spot inside NewBo City Market in Cedar Rapids on Jan. 3, 2025. (Elijah Decious/The Gazette)

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In a move of growth building on K.C. Cakes’ rapid success, owners Krystan Proctor and Alex Cooley spiced it up with a reopening this month as K.C. Cakes and Cajun.

With a new injection of Louisiana flavor, their offerings are now a mix of sweet and peppery.

From the outset at their opening in November 2023, Cooley wanted to share a little bit of his southern heritage in the joint venture.

After K.C. Cakes’ growth through the course of its first year, all they needed was a new space inside NewBo City Market.

“That was the only thing holding us back,” Proctor said.

Starting small, the new Cajun side of the eatery will offer a simple menu of daily, rotating specials like red beans and rice, cornbread, chicken and andouille sausage jambalaya, and biscuits and gravy.

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In standard Cajun style, many entrées get their character from a blend of Cajun seasoning, as well as the bell peppers, celery and onions known as the ”holy trinity.”

Specialties like boudin, a Cajun sausage made from pork, rice, onions and peppers, will serve as a centerpiece for the transplanted Cajun cuisine.

The couple takes regular road trips down south to Cooley’s hometown in Deridder, Louisiana, near the southwestern corner of the L-shaped state’s heel. There, boudin is sold in the form of fried balls from gas stations, and the couple buys it by the pound.

“It is true Cajun,” Cooley said — not the Creole-style tourists may think of in the state’s flagship destination, New Orleans.

Starting about 45 minutes outside New Orleans, travelers can find a taste of Cajun that offers a different kind of southern hospitality with vibrant flavors and spices. In the five years since Cooley was brought to Cedar Rapids by construction work, the self-taught cook has been retooling recipes to recreate what he remembers from home.

Here, he has tempered his spicy tendencies for the benefit of many diners. Those who can handle the heat will be able to warm it up with more hot sauce.

“It’s the stuff that I grew up with and stuff that makes me feel at home,” he said. “It makes you feel warm inside.”

Owner Krystan Proctor pipes frosting onto cakes while preparing baked goods for the upcoming week at K.C. Cakes at NewBo City Market in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

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The red velvet swirl cheesecake from K.C. Cakes at NewBo City Market in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

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Proctor, an Iowa native, concurs — on cold days, Cajun warmth can feel familiar to anyone. She still remembers her first “wow” moment with Cajun food at a shack off the Gulf Coast.

Here, they hope to recreate it for others without the long drive.

“I just hope we receive the same amount of support we received with the bakery,” Cooley said.

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.