BATON ROUGE – Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser and the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board will welcome chefs from across the country to the nation’s ultimate seafood cooking competition at the 2016 Great American Seafood Cook-Off, to be held at the Ernest Morial Convention Center on Aug. 6, 2016, at 11:30 a.m., in front of a live audience.
During the competition, each chef will prepare a dish that best promotes the use of domestic seafood while interacting with a live audience, celebrity hosts Chef Cory Bahr and Louisiana news personality Johnny Ahysen, as well as Chef Ref Randy Cheramie. Each dish will be presented to a notable panel of six national judges, who will score based on presentation, creativity, composition, craftsmanship and flavor. In its 13th year, the 2016 Great American Seafood Cook-Off promotes quality and variety of domestic seafood.
To be eligible to compete in the event, chefs must either hold the current title of King or Queen of Seafood or be appointed by the governor of their respective state.
The full list of competitors includes:
· Chef Josh Quick, Alabama (Odette)
· Chef Colette Nelson, Alaska (Ludvig’s Bistro)
· Chef John Munday, Arkansas (Samantha’s Tap Room & Wood Grill)
· Chef Chris Sherrill, Florida (Flora-Bama Yacht Club)
· Chef Blake Phillips, Louisiana (Restaurant Sage)
· Chef Peter McCarthy, Massachusetts (EVOO)
· Chef Alex Eaton, Mississippi (Manship Wood Fired Kitchen)
· Chef Bethy Rossos, Oregon (TV food personality and caterer)
· Chef Nicholas Huckabee, South Carolina (The Dunes Golf & Beach Club)
· Chef Santiago “Jimmy” De La Cruz, Texas (The Woodlands Country Club)
· Chef Logen Crew, Utah (Current Fish & Oyster)
Meet the judges:
· Chef Jamie Adams – il Giallo in Atlanta, Ga.
· Chef Jennifer Cole – Chopped Season 8 winner
· Jason Derusha – WCCO-TV (CBS) in Minneapolis, Minn.
· Steve Green – Founder and CEO of #FoodieChats
· John State – Executive Chef for Disneyland Resorts and Parks, Food and Beverage and Executive Chef Partner of Seasons 52 Restaurant
· Chef Brian West – Smoke: The Restaurant in San Antonio, TX
“Seafood is the root of so many of our traditions here in Louisiana, so there is no better place to host the nation’s ultimate seafood competition,” said Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser. “We’re eager to welcome chefs from across the nation to duke it out with their best seafood dishes, and we’re excited to showcase Louisiana’s great seafood.”
Meet the hosts:
· Johnny Ahysen – WAFB-TV (CBS) in Baton Rouge, La.
· Chef Cory Bahr – Restaurant Cotton and Nonna Italian Restaurant
· Michael-Ann Rowe – Emmy® Award-Winning television personality and producer of the PBS series Off the Beaten Palate
Meet the Chef Ref:
· Chef Randy Cheramie – John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University
Louisiana Seafood would like to thank the 2016 GASCO sponsors: Louisiana Restaurant Association, Southwest Cargo and Whole Foods Market. Glassware and plate ware provided by Libbey.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.greatamericanseafoodcookoff.com.
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Source: Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board