Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off Goes Virtual

Alas, another “adjustment” is made to an event because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off, which in the past was presented in a “kitchen stadium” format in the Cajundome, has been reconfigured into a virtual event. But being virtual doesn’t mean that viewers won’t be able to participate.
As part of the overall judging of the competition, regular ol’ joes like you and me can have our say in the “People’s Choice” Award. Videos of each chef making their dish will be posted online along with the complete step-by-step recipe so we can create the dishes ourselves and have a taste at home. Don’t worry, the recipes have to be created from common items found in your local grocery, so you should have little problem creating the dishes. Then, after you cook and taste each dish, you can go online to vote for which recipe you like best (or you can just cast a vote for your favorite chef and forgo the kitchen mess).
There will be actual judges tasting the actual dishes that the actual competing chefs actually cheffed to actually crown the actual winner. According to a press release from the lieutenant governor’s office, the judges will be sizing up the chefs in the following categories: presentation, creativity, composition, craftsmanship, and flavor.
The list of this year’s competing chef is as follows:

• Logan Boudreaux; Cinclare Southern Bistro; Thibodaux, LA
• Justin Componation; Parish Restaurant & Bar; Monroe, LA
• Anthony Felan; Fat Calf Brasserie; Shreveport, LA
• Ben Fidelak; Mariner’s Restaurant; Natchitoches, LA
• Devan Giddix; Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House; New Orleans, LA
• Scott Ricci; Drago’s Seafood Restaurant; Baton Rouge, LA
• Dominique Schexnayder; Dominique’s Wine Boutique & Bistro; Houma, LA
• Amy Sins; Langlois; New Orleans, LA
• Robert Vasquez; Pepe’s Sonoran Cuisine; Covington, LA
• Chris Vazquez; Redfish Grill; New Orleans, LA

The competition will begin filming on Monday, September 28. Each chef will prepare their dish and then present it to the 3 judges in hopes of earning that crown.
Keep an eye on the Louisiana Seafood Cookoff website or their Facebook page for the videos, they’ll be posted before you know it!