Jessie's Smokin' NOLA

After running a food truck for more than five years, Jessie Rayford opened a brick-and-mortar location of his Cajun eatery, Jessie's Smokin' NOLA, in Centennial in 2019. In July 2022, he opted not to renew the lease and closed the place. "Retiring" was his simple answer for any question about what he planned to do next. But he didn't retire -- instead, he reopened his eatery inside craft beer bar Max Taps in early 2023, and movied o his own brick-and-mortar in Parker in 2024. Now Rayford has space to spread out and offer dishes like crawfish bread and a turducken burger in addition to fan favorites like po'boys, jambalaya, gumbo and fried seafood platters.