ProStart competitors to experience Louisiana Seafood Showcase

More than 200 Louisiana high school juniors and seniors in the ProStart program will convene in New Orleans for the Louisiana Seafood ProStart Student Invitational, March 25-26 to compete for $1.2 million in scholarship opportunities. For the second consecutive year, Louisiana Seafood is the title sponsor of the event produced by the Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Foundation (LRAEF), which stipulates that teams incorporate at least one of the six seafood species into their appetizer or entrée in the Culinary Competition, and include seafood into their menu as part of their restaurant concept in the Management Competition.

“We have such talented young culinarians in the Louisiana ProStart program,” said Alice Glenn, LRAEF Executive Director. “When they are tasked with using Louisiana seafood in their dishes, we’ve seen incredibly beautiful and deliciously creative cuisine, although, Louisiana seafood has long been a favorite protein by competitors in previous years.”

To further the Louisiana Seafood brand with the industry’s up-and-coming rising stars, the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board is also sponsoring the Louisiana Seafood Showcase Dinner on the evening of March 25 for competitors.  The showcase features six notable chefs who will use one of the six Louisiana seafood species—crab, alligator, oyster, shrimp, crawfish and finfish—in a signature dish.

“The students will have the opportunity to taste Chef John Folse’s crawfish etouffee and Chef Peter Sclafani’s shrimp and grits,” added Glenn. “The chefs will also be there to speak with the students about why Louisiana seafood is superior to seafood from elsewhere.”

In addition to crawfish etouffee and shrimp and grits, the menu includes: blackened redfish burgers by Chef Austin Kirzner of Red Fish Grill, Drago’s Restaurant’s famed charbroiled oysters, crabmeat cheesecake by Chef Jason Ameen of Palace Café and alligator sauce piquante by Chef Brian Landry of Borgne, a John Besh Restaurant.

These Louisiana Restaurant Association (LRA) members have supported ProStart program since its inception and regularly mentor, volunteer and participate in fundraisers that benefit the LRA Education Foundation.

“Each student will receive a commemorative Louisiana Seafood Showcase Dinner Recipe Book to recreate these dishes,” said Glenn. “We are so fortunate to live in Louisiana and have such a bounty of indigenous seafood options to inspire our world-renowned culinarians.” 

LRA Education Foundation & Chef John Folse Culinary Institute sign articulation agreement

The Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Foundation (LRAEF) and the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute (CJFCI) at Nicholls State University are pleased to announce they have signed an articulation agreement.

Under this agreement, Louisiana high school graduates who have successfully completed two years of a ProStart program and earned their ServSafe sanitation certificate will receive four hours of college credit toward their associate or bachelor’s degree of culinary arts at CJFCI.

ProStart is a nationwide, two-year program for high school students that develops the best and brightest talent into tomorrow's industry leaders. From culinary techniques to management skills, ProStart's industry-driven curriculum provides real-world educational opportunities and builds practical skills and a foundation that will last a lifetime.

“This agreement is a win-win for the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute and the LRAEF,” said Chef Randy Cheramie, executive director of CJFCI. “Rather than sitting through our first two introductory lecture classes, students with ProStart certifications will start immediately into our skills labs, giving them a semester lead.”

The LRAEF has similar articulation agreements with other post-secondary institutions nationally/internationally and in Louisiana. It continues to seek out mutually beneficial partnerships with other post-secondary institutions in the state.

The LRAEF strives to provide opportunities for its ProStart graduates wishing to pursue culinary arts and management degrees after graduating from high school. Its Scholarship Fund, which has awarded more than $140,000 since its inception in 2009, furthers this goal by ensuring financial support is available for the state’s promising and ambitious students.

“This agreement will allow more Louisiana culinary students the opportunity to transfer easily into Nicholls and continue their education,” said LRAEF ProStart Coordinator Devienne Theriot.

The LRAEF would like to thank its Partners, whose financial assistance makes programs like ProStart a reality: 5 Diamond: Auto-Chlor Services, Louisiana Hospitality Foundation, Acme Oyster House and Louisiana Seafood; 4 Diamond: Performance Foodservice-Caro; 3 Diamond: Louisiana Culinary Institute, Atmos Energy, New Orleans Wine & Food Experience and Drago’s Seafood Restaurant; 1 Diamond: Entergy.  Also, the LRAEF extends special recognition to all LRA chapters that support ProStart and the LRAEF through its various philanthropic activities throughout the year.

Calling all foodies, professional and great gumbo cooks

Chef John Folse and L.A. Gumbo Festival serve up $4,000 in cash prizes

Renowned restaurateur and Louisiana’s Culinary Ambassador to the World, Chef John Folse, has teamed up with Alabama restaurateur and former University of Alabama and Miami Dolphin great, Bob Baumhower, to create the inaugural L.A. Gumbo Festival set for April 11–13 at The Wharf in Orange Beach, Ala.

 

The Ala vs. La showdown came from the “World’s Largest Gumbo” and “Tailgate Cook-off” that Chef Folse did in Tuscaloosa in November 2011.  It was so much fun, Bob Baumhower thought to pit the professionals against each other.

"I can’t wait to get back to Alabama to beat our ‘World’s Largest Gumbo’ record that was set in November 2011," said Chef Folse.  "Orange Beach and L.A., that’s Lower Alabama, are becoming a second home for me."

The festival features a Gumbo Cook-off, pitting Louisiana foodies and professional chefs against Alabama’s “alleged” gumbo cooks.  Both the foodie division and professional division begin cooking at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 13^th at The Wharf.  Judging begins at 11:30 a.m. with cash prizes awarded in both categories.  Prizes in the Foodie Category include $200 for 3^rd place, $300 for 2^nd place and $500 for first place. 

 

The same prizes will be awarded in the Professional Division, but prizes are awarded to both the Louisiana and Alabama chefs.  Additionally, the first place winners in the professional category for both Louisiana and Alabama will compete for the Grand Champion title and an additional $1,000.  Additional prizes of $500 each will be awarded for People’s Choice gumbo and Best Decorated Booth. 

The L.A. Gumbo Festival is free and open to the public.  Competition tasting tickets for the “People’s Choice” award are $2 each or 30 tickets for $20. 

Entry fees are for the Foodie Division $50 per contestant and for the Professional Division $250 per contestant.  Interested parties can register for the competition online at www.gumboforlife.com, then mail the registration form, payment and a copy of your recipe to: L.A. Gumbo Festival, 26801 Railroad Ave., Loxley, AL 36551.  Deadline for registration is Monday, April 5.

For rules, regulations and registration in either the foodie or professional division OR for more information on the festival, please visit www.gumboforlife.com or contact Kent Lynam (251) 408-7973 or email klynam@alohahospitality.com or Michaela York at michaelay@jfolse.com.

Louisiana Kitchen magazine premiere issue out now

Louisiana Kitchen Inaugural Edition
May/June 2012.Photo by David Gallent

Gracing the first cover of the new magazine, Louisiana Kitchen, is world renowned Chef John Folse and Chicago’s Chef Rick Tramonto, a James Beard Award winner, holding a gorgeous plate of grilled shrimp with chorizo hominy stew. In the inaugural issue, more than 90 recipes from chefs spanning Louisiana are featured, but we noticed Louisiana crawfish ruled.

“Last fall when I had to choose between moving back to the West Coast or launching a magazine here, Our Kitchen and Culture, LLC was born,” said Publisher Susan Ford. “Louisiana Kitchen will give you a cultural experience through intelligent, informed commentary, lush photography, cutting-edge design, and provide you recipes for meals you can produce to share in that experience.”

The theme that carries through the 96-page Louisiana Kitchen is deeper than just the food we eat. It’s the bond we share over the restaurant table, at the dining room buffet during a holiday or standing around the table at a crawfish boil. The authentic and evolutionary marriage of the seven nations that create a wonderful, imaginative Louisiana smorgasbord is only what it is because of the cultural influences of the people that created it and continue the traditions.

“Louisiana’s kitchens are crowded places,” said Jyl Benson, Editor in Chief. “We keep our ancestors, generations and generations of them, at our sides as we perform those culinary rituals that are ours alone. We share with others, very often strangers, because we are generous people.”

The issue is full of beautiful photography that captures the brilliant color and succulence of Louisiana’s world-renowned cuisine. Prepare to mark recipes that you’ll no doubt want to share with your family and friends.

The Louisiana Restaurant Association is pleased to have a publication as unique as Louisiana Kitchen available to individuals near and far to further the Bayou State's brand. This publication will take you on a journey across the state while bringing you stories of people that, in their own way, have made an indelible mark on those around them and help weave the fabric of our beautiful state.