Get your fresh fruit fix on at new LC business

Edible Arrangements logo with strawberry

Who says sitting around watching TV is a waste of time? Certainly not Ronald Piper. That’s exactly what the Lake Charles man was doing when a television commercial for Edible Arrangements caught his eye a couple years ago.

Seeing that commercial made him consider opening an Edible Arrangements store in Lake Charles. He talked the idea over with his parents, Donald and Sheryl Piper, and with his  brothers, Ryant and Rolin Piper. Fast forward two years: After much plotting and planning, the family’s Edible Arrangements store opened up at 4110 Lake St. on April 12. 

Co-owners Ryant and Rolin Piper with an order waiting for pickup.

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Just like local florists deliver fresh flowers, Edible Arrangements makes delicious fresh fruit creations and delivers them all over Lake Charles in their refrigerated truck. Orders can also be picked up at the store.

“Arrangements start off in the $20 range and go all the way up to $1,999,” said Rolin Piper.

That’s right. Two grand will get you the company’s Edible Chocolate Spectacular, a 3-foot-tall “chocolate-dipped fruit frenzy” that can serve over 200 people. 

If the Chocolate Spectacular would completely blow your fresh fruit budget out of the water, you can still visit the store and get a wonderful treat for yourself or to brighten a friend’s day for only $5.

That’s because Edible Arrangements has recently added a number of get-it-and-go offerings for walk-in customers.

 For $5, you can walk away with a “cone” of chocolate-dipped fruit, a fresh fruit salad in a cup, an ice-cold fruit smoothie, a frozen yogurt fruit shake or a delicious fruit parfait.

You may also choose to indulge yourself with a single piece of decadent chocolate-dipped fruit, starting at $3.

When I visited last Tuesday, Rolin Piper had me try a sample of fresh banana dipped in white and dark chocolate. It was exquisite.

“Everybody likes those,” he said.

I also tried the Create-Your-Own Smoothie. Customers can pick one or two kinds of fresh fruits from a selection of pineapple, strawberry, banana, cantaloupe or honeydew. I picked strawberry, pineapple and … kale. 

Kale is the lone vegetable in the store, but nutrition-minded folks will appreciate the fact that it can be added to any smoothie at no charge. 

If you really want to go all out, make your smoothie extra special by adding chocolate or whipped cream for 50 cents each; or add whey protein or fruit topping for $1 more each.

I kept it plain with just the strawberry, pineapple and kale. Rolin Piper added agave and freshly-squeezed orange juice to the mix. My kale and fruit smoothie was ice-cold, tangy, sweet and delicious.

Find Edible Arrangements at the corner of Lake and Sale streets, by the Great Harvest Bread Company. 

Hours are 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Call the store at 337-602-8622.

To place an order, customers can go online to www.ediblearrangements.com or stop by the store.””

Edible Arrangements’ fresh fruit salad in a cup.

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Edible Arrangements’ fruit and kale smoothie.

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A fresh banana dipped in white and dark chocolate.

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