When Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, DeSean Cagnolatti was already living in Dallas, but his thoughts immediately turned to his family back in New Orleans. In the aftermath, he reconnected with two junior high friends, Theo Bias and Keith Cryer, and together they pursued a vision they had long shared: opening a daiquiri shop reminiscent of home.
Their dream became reality in December 2012. A year later, the held a grand opening for The Daiquiri Shoppe in Grand Prairie. More than 700 people lined up on opening day, a sign of the community’s craving for a taste of New Orleans.
“From that day on, we realized we were a thing,” Cagnolatti recalled. “What we were offering was needed and people loved us. We just made sure to stay authentic and true to how we did daiquiris back in New Orleans.”
As the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is marked this year, survivors and displaced families gathered at The Daiquiri Shoppe to celebrate not just a business, but the resilience, culture, and survival spirit born out of the storm.
