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Danzel Kyrie Levene
A son, Danzel Kyrie Levene, was born on Thursday, April 1, 2021 at Abbeville General to Shamir Lenee Bryant and Derek Lorenzo Levene, Sr. of Abbeville.

Amir Dale Brown
A son, Amir Dale Brown, was born on Friday, April 9, 2021 at Abbeville General to Shalaya Janae Greene and Jose Jacolby Brown of Abbeville.

Christopher Mason
Tilton Towell
A son, Christopher Mason Tilton Towell, was born on Sunday, April 18, 2021 at Abbeville General to Grace Ann Tilton and Evan Joseph Mckinnen Towell of Abbeville.

Elijah Paul Guidry
A son, Elijah Paul Guidry, was born on Friday, April 23, 2021 at Abbeville General to Brianna Nicole Ritchie and Andrew Neil Guidry of Kaplan.

Dauntrel Tyrone
Bessard, Jr.
A son, Dauntrel Tyrone Bessard, Jr. was born on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at Abbeville General to Fatavia Leonta Andrews and Dauntrel Tyrone Bessard of Abbeville.

Aidan Ray Greene
A son, Aidan Ray Greene, was born on Wednesday, April 28, 2021 at Abbeville General to Todd Terryl Greene of Abbeville.

MAURICE — By now, you have likely tried something from Sunny Akers Bread.
If not, it’s not hard to find the numerous items created in Kalyn Akers’ kitchen. She’s a regular at markets, including the Abbeville Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market, where she will be on May 15. Her menu and schedule can also be found at www.sunnyakers.com.
“I make all kinds of yeasted bread,” Akers said, “sourdough, baguettes, sandwich loaves, croissants, cinnamon rolls, focaccia, brioche, dinner rolls, to name a few. My favorite thing to make would have to be sourdough. I have had my starter for four years now. I find it an absolute miracle that such simple ingredients as flour, water, salt, and natural yeast found in the air can make something so delicious. Plus, it’s the healthiest bread you can eat. Of course, I also love the delicate process of making laminated doughs like croissants and danishes.
“The end product with all those crispy layers of butter and dough is something special.”
Akers has ramped up her baking to a full-time operation within the past year. Before that, it served as a hobby after she left teaching to spend more time with her growing family. She married Kory Akers in 2008, and the two have five children from ages 10 to 1.
“I had been teaching French for a few years,” Akers said, “and when our family grew from three to four children in ‘14, I decided I needed to spend some time at home with my children. I stopped teaching and home schooled for four years. At that time, I picked up the hobby of baking bread. I quickly became obsessed, and life has not been the same since! I eventually went back to teaching, and bread baking was a humble hobby that I continued to pursue in my spare time. That all changed in ‘18, when I began selling king cakes.
“Every year since then, the business has been growing, and in June of ‘20, I began baking as a full-time venture.”
While it has grown into a successful venture, baking has also served as a way for Akers to stay connected to French culture. At age 10, Akers, née Guidry, moved from Abbeville to Florida with her family. After graduating from high school, she returned home and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in French from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in ‘09.
“Living away from Louisiana gave me a greater appreciation for my culture and led to an interest in the French language,” Akers said. “Bread is an important part of French culture, so when I wasn’t teaching French anymore, I shifted my focus to learning how to make French bread. The first bread that I made was a baguette and it remains my most challenging. In hindsight, I don’t recommend starting with baguettes.”
One challenge to overcome for any growing business is the growth itself. Akers has seen that.
“After quickly outgrowing my home kitchen,” Akers said, “my husband and I decided to build a space that could accommodate bigger equipment and greater output. We built a commercial kitchen on our property in Maurice, and I am so in love with my little home bakery. I have a hard time saying it’s a one-man job because none of it would be possible without the numerous family and friends who watch our kids, print labels, wash dishes, give advice, and taste test to make this dream a reality for me. And of course, my husband, Kory, works two full-time jobs between his actual job and helping me in the bakery.
“I have plans to expand to a storefront in Vermilion parish, but I don’t anticipate it happening until my children are older. For now, markets, king cake season, and custom orders keep me as busy as I can handle with five young children and a farm.”
It’s that family farm that led to the name of Sunny Akers Bread.
“When Kory and I first moved to the country, we got chickens,” Akers said. “My family got such a kick out of it and insisted that we come up with a name for our “farm.” So we decided on Sunny Akers Family Farm, a play on our last name. My sister gave us a stamp with the name for Christmas. I would stamp our egg cartons with the name when eggs were the first thing we sold.
“Eventually, when we started exclusively selling bread, we changed the name to Sunny Akers Bread, but we kept the chicken in our logo as a reminder of our beginnings.”
The response from the community has been nothing short of sunny.
“It never fails to amaze me how much support I have received from my community,” Akers said. “It means the world to me to have “regulars” at the market. Their support is what keeps me going and gives me confidence. Doing markets is not easy; it is physically and mentally challenging. Prep begins on Thursday. I bake late into Friday night, then wake early on Saturday morning to pack up, set up, and hopefully sell everything.
“But I get to meet people in my community and talk about my passion, and it makes it all worth it.”

ABBEVILLE — Funeral Services for Dalton “Tu Tu” Peters, 37, will be at 12:00PM Saturday, May 1, 2021 at David Funeral Home of Abbeville with Pastor Mediate Derouen officiating. Interment will follow in Pleasant Green Cemetery.
Visitation will be at David Funeral Home of Abbeville Saturday from 9:00AM until service time.
“Tu Tu” a native and life resident of Abbeville passed away Thursday, April 22, 2021 at Lafayette General Hospital. He loved to cook and spend time with his children.
He is survived by his wife, Mekiel Guidry Peters of Abbeville, his mother, Cottie Peters of Abbeville, maternal grandparents, Hamilton and Foster Green Peters of Abbeville, his mother in law Tonia Guidry of Abbeville, 4 sons, Zavian Davis of Houston, TX, Dontae Peters of Youngsville, Brayln Peters of Abbeville, Denim Peters of Abbeville, 2 daughters, Drew Peters of Abbeville, Devyn Peters of Abbeville, sisters, Daphney Peters of Abbeville, Danielle Mitchell of Lake Charles, Andrea Mitchell of Abbeville, Tia Locks of Phoenix, AZ, N’Stacia Locks of Phoenix, AZ.
He is preceded in death by his father Dalton Mitchell and his paternal grandparents Clarence Mitchell and Agnes Cooper.
Condolences may be shared with the family at www.davidfuneralhome.org.
“In order to help keep the community safe we will honor the July 13, 2020 Louisiana Mandates.  All families and their guests are required to wear a face covering while at the funeral home. Thank you for your understanding during this unprecedented time.” 
David Funeral Home of Abbeville is in charge of arrangements. 2600 Charity St. Abbeville, LA 70510 (337) 893-3777.

Vanessa Vollmer celebrated her birthday with not only cake, but with an official new title at the Vermilion Parish Clerk of Court’s Office as well.
Vermilion Parish Clerk of Court Diane Meaux Broussard recently named Vollmer the new Chief Deputy Clerk of Court. As it just so happens, the swearing-in ceremony occurred on April 19, Vollmer’s birthday.
“This is something that I will remember forever,” Vollmer said. “It really made it special.”
The Clerk of Court’s Office has been a special place for Vollmer. After all, she has worked in the office for nearly 21 years.
“I have really enjoyed my time here,” Vollmer said.
As for timing, it finally lined up for Broussard to officially appoint someone to the role formerly held by Carlton Campbell, who retired five years ago. Vollmer previously served as Broussard’s administrative assistant.
“Five years ago, Carlton Campbell retired from the Clerk of Court’s office,” Broussard said. “He had been my only Chief Deputy. I took my time to replace him because I knew that person would have big shoes to fill.
“After a long time of observing qualities I was looking for in a Chief Deputy, I appointed Vanessa.”
Vollmer is grateful for the opportunity.
“I am absolutely honored that she would entrust me with this,” Vollmer said.
There is indeed a strong trust between the two.
“Her and I work well together,” Vollmer said.
Broussard shared that sentiment.
“Vanessa and I work very well together,” Broussard said. “She understands my quirkiness.”
While excited, Vollmer said the move did not come without some nervousness. How would others in the office take the news?
“I think they were surprised,” Vollmer said, “but I got a genuine excitement from them. They were happy for me.
“That made me feel really good.”
Vollmer has seen a good amount of changes while with the clerk’s office.
“When I was hired in (July) 2000, I started out working in the Recording Department indexing land records,” Vollmer explained. “At that time, the public was relying heavily on printed copies of the index to do their research, as well as, using microfilm to view documents. In recent years, I’ve become very active in working closely with our software companies to help provide more efficient and convenient ways to do research and view documents. A vast amount of records are now available on computers and can be accessed directly from your home. During the pandemic, we quickly realized how necessary these features would become.”
“As technology continuously evolves, I am dedicated to looking for ways to move the office forward and provide convenient access to the information our office has to offer.”
Vollmer said she is confident the ever-evolving path of the clerk’s office will not be a challenge for the people who work there.
“We have a great staff,” Vollmer said. “The younger group is catching on really fast. We are moving forward and everyone is getting a good grasp of it.”
Vollmer is prepared to do her part.
“This means a lot to me,” Vollmer said. “I am ready for the challenge. I feel like the Clerk of Court’s Office is in by blood now.
“I thank Diane for entrusting me and I thank my coworkers for making this such a good place to work.”