DENHAM SPRINGS — The Mustard Seed Creamery in Denham Springs has been serving up ice cream, meals, beer, and wine since 2024. On top of normal restaurant offerings, the nonprofit religious organization also hosts Mustard Seed Church services on Sunday mornings.
What the restaurant owners, Tim and Tasha Levert, didn’t know when they started hosting the Mustard Seed Church was that the Sunday services would ultimately jeopardize its liquor license.
“We have a liquor license from the state of Louisiana,” Tasha said. “We had a liquor license from the City of Denham Springs, but they did not renew it this year.”
The 300 foot rule
The Leverts have been in an ongoing battle with the City of Denham Springs over its liquor license for months. They say the debate stems from the ‘300 foot rule.’ In the State of Louisiana, a business cannot sell alcohol within 300 feet of a building used exclusively as a church. The Mustard Seed Creamery claims that they do not operate exclusively as a church, so it was able to obtain a state liquor license…