Ra Ca’s Plans to Open Cajun-Mexican Restaurant in Dale Residences

In the summer of 2023, Willis Courville Jr. and his fiancé, Cynthia Alfaro, started Ra Ca’s Food Truck. Since then, they have worked nonstop across Nebraska serving their unique blend of Mexican and Cajun cuisine.

This fall, they plan to open a restaurant in downtown Holdrege where Willis can expand his Cajun cooking and bring a taste of his hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana, to Nebraska.

“It’s going to make me feel a little closer to home,” Willis said.

Ra Ca’s will open on the first floor of The Dale Residences. The restaurant will give Willis the space to cook his favorite foods that are rarely served in Nebraska, such as gator, frog legs, crawfish etouffee, po’ boys and beignets.

Willis grew up cooking for his younger siblings while his parents worked long hours. He learned some from his dad and the rest by trial and error. 

He moved to Holdrege several years ago to help his friend remodel The Dale Residences. He also worked at Allmand Inc., where he started selling “plate lunches” of shrimp fettuccine and crawfish etouffee to Allmand employees. That sparked his desire to expand his cooking and start a food truck. 

Ra Ca’s Food Truck features several of Willis’ Cajun recipes and several of Cynthia’s Mexican specialties, including the popular Wet Green Chili Burrito. 

But limited space in the food truck makes it impossible for Willis to cook all the foods and flavors he wants to serve.

The couple is working with Nancy Clark, owner of The Dale Residences, to start serving in The Dale’s vacant restaurant space this fall. Ra Ca’s Cajun and Elevated Mexican restaurant will be open Friday, Saturday and Monday evenings and Sunday morning/early afternoons. The official opening date is still to be determined.

Willis envisions Friday night being a seafood night with fried fish, fried gator, and fried frog legs (when in season) along with his popular shrimp fettuccine and crawfish etouffee. He will fly in fresh products from Louisiana. Saturday night’s menu will feature gumbo, soup, stews, and maybe a buffet. Monday nights may be more relaxed with Cajun sandwiches, tortas, and fried shrimp or hot-link po’boys.

They plan to open early Sunday mornings around 6 a.m. to serve beignets, Lafayette-style Boudin Kolaches, and specialty coffee like Bourbon Pecan. Then, he is planning a Sunday buffet with one side featuring a Mexican-style mini pancake bar with toppings like strawberries and chocolate chips. The other side will be a more American-style buffet with eggs, bacon, sausage, French toast, grits, and biscuits and gravy.

Willis and Cynthia have started transforming The Dale restaurant space to give it a “classy” yet “swampy” Louisiana vibe. They’ve hung alligators over the coffee area and added cozy lanterns for ambiance. String lights illuminate the dining room tables, and an alligator mural decorates the west wall, bringing the spirit of the bayou to life. 

“Gators were a big part of my life,” Willis said. “It gives that swampy feeling and makes me feel like home.”

While his focus is on opening the restaurant, Willis said he still plans to operate the food truck for larger events, especially in the spring. He also accepts catering jobs, including crawfish boils when they are in season.

Willis said he is grateful to the Phelps County community for their support of his endeavors, including the time when customers offered the use of their trucks when his truck broke down.

“It’s much appreciated,” he said.

To stay up to date on Ra Ca’s opening plans, visit Ra Ca’s Food Service on Facebook or their new website at racatruckandtable.com. Ra Ca’s is also on the Discover37 app.