BATON ROUGE, La. (From the Lieutenant Governor’s Office) – Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board today are proud to announce the selection of chefs from across the state to represent their areas in the 12th Annual Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off (LASCO).
This year’s competition will be held Tuesday, June 18, at the Cajundome Convention Center in Lafayette. LASCO is once again partnering with EatLafayette which hosts dozens of local restaurants inside the Cajundome Center alongside LASCO’s live cooking competition.
Chef Ryan Trahan of Blue Dog Café was awarded “King of Louisiana Seafood” in 2018 before vying for, and winning “King of American Seafood” at the Great American Seafood Cook-Off held in New Orleans last August.
“In Louisiana, good food is just part of what connects us to our diverse heritage and seafood is a big part of that. From recipes passed down through generations to the culinary creations of our state’s chefs, seafood has created a culinary identity for Louisiana unlike any other state,” Lt. Governor Nungesser said. “This is a chance for us to celebrate the great contribution chefs and our hard working seafood industry make to the state that truly Feed Your Soul.”
Due to the number of outstanding chefs applying each year to compete for the crown of King or Queen of Louisiana Seafood, the number of competitors was increased for 2019. Instead of 12 chefs participating, 14 chefs will face off against each other for the title.
This year’s competing chefs are:
- Justin Componation; Parish Restaurant & Bar; Monroe
- Jeremy Conner; Spoonbill Watering Hole & Restaurant; Lafayette
- Wayne Cooper; The Panini Bistro; Hammond
- Willie Gaspard; Cypress Bayou Casino & Hotel; Charenton
- Devan Giddix; Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House; New Orleans
- Marc Krampe; Social Southern Table & Bar; Lafayette
- Johnnie Landry; The Little Big Cup; Arnaudville
- Brody Leblanc; Borgne; New Orleans
- Larry Manheimer; Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse; Lake Charles
- Jerry Mixon; Café Amelie; New Orleans
- Chris Motto; Mansurs on the Boulevard; Baton Rouge
- Nathan Richard; Cavan Restaurant & Bar; New Orleans
- Quintin Scrantz; Prejean’s Restaurant; Lafayette
- Amy Sins; Langlois; New Orleans
LASCO will again be held in conjunction with the Taste of EatLafayette event for the third consecutive year. The event will include the live cook off with chefs from all over the state participating to be crowned the King or Queen of Louisiana Seafood that evening.
The event features the best of both worlds: a Taste of EatLafayette restaurants and a world-class cooking competition. This is the 15th year for EatLafayette and the 12th year for Louisiana’s premier cooking competition, which is presented by the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board in partnership with the Louisiana Restaurant Association.
“We are delighted the Lt. Governor and the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board are staging the Cook-off in Lafayette again this year,” said Ben Berthelot, President & CEO of the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission. “The last few years it has helped take our popular Taste of EatLafayette event to another level, while providing great exposure for our area, our chefs, restaurants, the Cook-off and EatLafayette. It is exciting to see this partnership and event continue this year. The last two winning chefs have also been from our area, which further validates holding the event in the heart of Cajun and Creole Country with our exceptional food scene. ”
The Taste of EatLafayette showcases locally-owned restaurants participating in the annual EatLafayette campaign. The event traditionally serves as the kickoff for the summer campaign driving diners to local eateries. EatLafayette is a sell out every year.
