A famed Cajun cookbook author and someone who never met a stranger, Eula Mae Doré leaves behind her loved ones, her legend and an abundance of memories that made her the “treasure” of Avery Island.

Doré, 78, author of “Eula Mae’s Cajun Kitchen,” died Saturday at her home on Avery Island.

“Avery Island will go on, but it will never be the same without her,” said Lynn McIlhenny Meyers, a McIlhenny family member and longtime friend. “She embodied everything that was good about being part of the Avery Island family. She truly was a treasure.”

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Doré was born in Youngsville in 1929. Her mother died when she was 10, leaving her to care for her younger siblings while her father and older brother worked as sharecroppers.

“She became quite busy as a young child,” said her daughter Susan Gachassin.

Gachassin said Doré and her husband, Walter, moved to Avery Island almost 60 years ago. She worked in the factory while her husband worked in the pepper fields, but they eventually became managers of the Avery Island commissary.

The store sold groceries and household items to Avery Island employees and members of the McIlhenny family, then eventually began serving sandwiches for lunch thanks to Doré.

“She worked in the little grocery store,” said Keyna Amy, who works in the gift shop and grew up on Avery Island. “She would always make me a ‘Eula Mae’ sandwich. Even when she retired, she still came in to visit with me often.”

While managing the store, Doré and her husband cooked for the McIlhenny family and visiting guests on special occasions.

“Her and my dad were well-known for their cooking,” said Gachassin. “They did a lot of cooking for people from all over the world.”

After the death of her husband and 42 years of service on Avery Island, Doré retired, but still continued to cook for the McIlhennys.

“She was really a part of our family,” said Meyers. “She’s an institution, and she really invited what Avery Island was.”

Doré and Walter were featured in Southern Living and various other publications throughout their careers. Doré was also featured on the Food Network. Doré was asked by Paul McIlhenny, president of McIlhenny Co., to write a cookbook with Marcelle Bienvenue, Gachassin said.

“It took her a long time to collaborate and write the recipes down,” said Gachassin. “Nothing was written, so she had to measure and cook everything that was in that book to make sure it was right. They asked her to do another one, but it would have been too time-consuming.”

When Doré was not cooking or sharing stories about the island with her many friends, Gachassin said she enjoyed spending time with her family.

“She embraced life to the fullest, and was just a special, special person to everyone,” said Gachassin. “She lived her life for her family, for us.

“She loved her Lord, and always offered a warm smile, a big hug and many, many words of wisdom.”