Meet Arkesha Baquet: The New Orleans Business Owner, Community Figure and Co-Owner Carrying Lil’ Dizzy’s Café Into the Future
#NOLAZINE - In a city where food represents history, family and culture, Arkesha Baquet is helping preserve one of New Orleans’ most respected culinary legacies. As the co-owner and operator of Lil’ Dizzy’s Café, Arkesha has become an important business leader and community figure in the historic Tremé neighborhood.
Located at 1500 Esplanade Avenue, Lil’ Dizzy’s is known for its traditional Creole-soul food, including fried chicken, gumbo, po’boys, bread pudding and generations-old family recipes. However, the restaurant represents much more than great food. It serves as a neighborhood gathering place where residents, business leaders, public officials, entertainers and visitors can experience authentic New Orleans hospitality.
Continuing the Baquet Family Legacy
The Baquet family’s history in the New Orleans restaurant industry stretches back to the 1940s. Over multiple generations, the family owned and operated several restaurants, including the legendary Eddie’s Restaurant in the Seventh Ward.
Wayne Baquet Sr. opened Lil’ Dizzy’s Café in the early 2000s, naming the restaurant after his grandson Zachary Baquet. As a trumpet player at St. Augustine High School, Zachary was nicknamed “Lil’ Dizzy” because his cheeks inflated like those of jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie when he played.
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced restaurants across New Orleans to close or reduce their operations, the future of Lil’ Dizzy’s became uncertain. Wayne Baquet Sr. decided to retire in 2020, leaving the family to determine whether its final remaining restaurant would continue.
Arkesha and her husband, Wayne Baquet Jr., cried, prayed and seriously considered the responsibility before deciding to carry the business forward. In February 2021, they reopened Lil’ Dizzy’s and preserved an important piece of New Orleans history. WWNO
Leading With Family and Community
As an operator, Arkesha remains involved in the daily details required to keep the restaurant successful. Her responsibilities include reviewing menus, managing supplies, supporting employees, assisting customers and ensuring that each dish maintains the quality associated with the Baquet name.
While the new generation made necessary operational changes, Arkesha and Wayne Jr. remained committed to the restaurant’s identity. The familiar gumbo, fried chicken and Creole-soul flavors remained at the heart of the menu.
The couple has also worked to modernize the business while respecting its history. Their sons, Jace and Gene, have contributed to the restaurant, allowing another generation of the Baquet family to learn the value of service, hard work and ownership. Square
Arkesha understands that Lil’ Dizzy’s does not belong only to her family—it also holds a special place in the community. Regular customers return for familiar meals, warm conversations and the feeling of being welcomed like family.
More Than a Restaurant Owner
Arkesha Baquet represents the type of leadership that often keeps New Orleans culture alive. She did not simply take control of an established restaurant; she accepted the responsibility of protecting a family tradition during one of the most difficult periods the hospitality industry had ever faced.
Her journey demonstrates that preserving a legacy requires more than celebrating the past. It requires showing up every day, making difficult business decisions, serving the community and preparing the next generation to continue the work.
Here at Nolazine, we want to give Arkesha Baquet her flowers for her dedication to business, family and the city of New Orleans. Through her leadership at Lil’ Dizzy’s Café, she is helping ensure that the Baquet family’s Creole-soul tradition remains part of the city’s future.
Lil’ Dizzy’s Café is still standing because Arkesha and Wayne Jr. believed the legacy was worth saving. Today, the restaurant continues feeding New Orleans while reminding everyone that some of the city’s greatest treasures are found inside family-owned neighborhood businesses.
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