New Orleans – Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and organizers of the Great American Seafood Cook-Off have issued a challenge to find the nation’s best seafood chef for 2011. Governor Jindal recently sent letters to governors of all 50 states asking them to either hold qualifying competitions or appoint a chef to represent his or her state at the Great American Seafood Cook-Off on Saturday, August 6, 2011 in New Orleans.
The Great American Seafood Cook-Off has become the most prestigious seafood cooking competition in the country. It has routinely featured celebrity chefs and rising culinary stars since it first occurred in 2004. The competition celebrates cooking with domestic seafood and encourages the use of products from sustainable fisheries. The Cook-Off is open to the public and will be held at the Southwest Airlines Gulf Coast Seafood Pavilion during the Louisiana Foodservice Expo.
To date, five states, including Louisiana, Maine, Kentucky, South Carolina and Mississippi, have committed to holding qualifying rounds to determine which chef will be their representative at the national competition in August. In addition, Alabama, Oregon and Illinois have already appointed chefs to compete in New Orleans.
“We’re thrilled that each year additional states host preliminary cook offs to celebrate their regional seafood and regional chefs. These events are not only fun, they help educate consumers that the healthiest, most flavorful fish is the fish harvested in domestic waters,” said Ewell Smith, executive director of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, which produces the Cook-Off. “Our annual competition is always great fun and this year we plan to raise the bar even higher by bringing in the country’s top up-and-coming chefs who will create incredible seafood dishes.”
Chef Dean Max, executive chef at 3030 Ocean in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, was crowned King of American Seafood at last year’s Cook-Off and will be on-hand in 2011 to crown this year’s winning chef.
"I had an incredible time with all the amazing chefs at the 2010 Cook-Off and New Orleans is the perfect host city,” Max said. “I was surprised to win after seeing the great dishes being prepared by my competitors. Of course, I stayed true to my area with my dish featuring farm-raised clams from a friend out of the Sebastian Inlet, heirloom tomatoes and herbs from my local farm, and the best double smoked bacon in the south.”
NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service is the chief sponsor of the Great American Seafood Cook-Off and uses the event to highlight to American seafood consumers the agency’s management of the Nation’s marine ecosystems. Chefs who think they have what it takes to represent their home states at the Great American Seafood Cook-Off should call Cook-Off organizers at 504-286-8736.
Previous winners of the Great American Seafood Cook-Off include:
- 2010 – Dean Max, 3030 Ocean, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
- 2009 – Tory McPhail, Commander’s Palace, New Orleans, LA
- 2008 – John Currence, City Grocery, Oxford, MI
- 2007 – Tim Thomas, Ocean Forest Golf Club, Sea Island, GA
- 2006 – Justin Timineri, Florida Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services
- 2005 – Randy Evans, Brennan’s of Houston, Houston, TX
- 2004 – John Besh, Restaurant August, New Orleans, LA
For more information about the Great American Seafood Cook-Off, visit: www.GreatAmericanSeafoodCookoff.com.
Source: Great American Seafood Cook-Off