The Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Promoting Board nowadays introduced the collection of a dozen chefs from across the condition to characterize their spots in the 15th Yearly Louisiana Seafood Prepare dinner-Off (LASCO).
This year’s competitors will be held Tuesday, June 7, at the Cajundome Convention Centre in Lafayette.
Cooks competing to become the 2022 King or Queen of Louisiana Seafood consist of:
- Ryan Cashio Cajun Property & Catering, LLC Laplace (First-time Competitor)
- Amanda Cusey The Villa Harlequin Lake Charles (First-time Competitor)
- Russell Davis Eliza Restaurant & Bar and JED’S Local Louisiana Po’boys Baton Rouge (First-time Competitor)
- David Dickensauge Tsunami Baton Rouge (Competed in 2014, 2015)
- Ben Fidelak Mariner’s Cafe Natchitoches (Competed in 2017, 2020)
- Ryan Gaudet Spahr’s Seafood Des Allemands (Competed in 2015, 2016)
- Kyle Hudson Beausoleil Coastal Cuisine Baton Rouge (First-time Competitor)
- Karlos Knott Bayou Teche Brewing & Cajun Saucer Arnaudville (To start with-time Competitor)
- Brett Monteleone Junior’s on Harrison New Orleans (First-time Competitor)
- Amy Sins Langlois New Orleans (Competed in 2016, 2019, 2020)
- Joshua Spell Fezzo’s Seafood Steakhouse & Oyster Bar Crowley (Very first-time Competitor)
- Grant Wallace Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse New Orleans (Very first-time Competitor)
To be eligible to compete, a chef will have to be the executive chef of a no cost-standing Louisiana cafe belonging to the Louisiana Cafe Association, a very pleased husband or wife of both the Louisiana and Good American Seafood Prepare dinner-Offs.
“What differentiates Louisiana from our Gulf neighbors is the access we have to an abundance of seafood,” mentioned Stan Harris, President and CEO of the Louisiana Restaurant Association. “Louisiana seafood is aspect of our identification and culture. The LASCO party makes it possible for our amazing culinary expertise to build dishes that any person would be very pleased to get pleasure from, and that draw individuals into our condition to know why we’re so distinctive.”
Verified judges for the 2022 Louisiana Seafood Prepare dinner-Off involve Chef Edgar “Dooky” Chase IV and Celeste Chachere.
Chef Edgar “Dooky” Chase, IV, is considered the scion of the influential Dooky Chase Restaurant family. A increasing star in the restaurant field, Edgar is the chef and proprietor of Dook’s Spot in the Treme neighborhood in downtown New Orleans. He has served as government chef at Dooky Chase’s Cafe, as very well as proprietor of Leah’s Kitchen area and Dook’s Burders, and a companion in a quantity of other eating places situated in the New Orleans Worldwide Airport. He retains a Masters of Business enterprise Administration, and a formal Culinary degree from Le Condon Bleu in Paris, France. Furthermore, he been given his undergraduate degree in Economics and Finance from Dillard College in 2004.
Celeste Chachere is the great-granddaughter of the “Ole Master” of Creole cooking Tony Chachere. She is also the Director of Promoting and Enhancement for Tony Chachere’s Creole Foods, which commenced in 1972 and celebrated its 50th anniversary this yr. What commenced as aspiration to create a cookbook, which include the recipe for his seasoning mix, has grown into a throughout the world manufacturer. Just about every single household in the south has a crimson and inexperienced can of Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning in the pantry. Today, Tony Chachere’s generates a entire vary of Creole delicacies from evening meal mixes to seasonings and injectable marinades. Celeste has her fingers total carrying on the wealthy custom of bringing large tips and goals to lifetime, substantially like her excellent-grandfather did 50 many years ago.
For the fifth year, the Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off is being held in Lafayette, the town said to have more dining places for every capita than any other American city. Many of the eating places that have served gain that difference will be serving samples to spectators as a element of the Taste of EatLafayette, which will take spot in conjunction with the Louisiana Seafood Cook dinner-Off.
In addition to earning the title of King or Queen of Louisiana Seafood, the winner will signify the condition at a wide variety of functions which includes the Great American Seafood Prepare dinner-Off, hosted by the Louisiana Seafood Advertising and Marketing and advertising Board and held in New Orleans for the duration of the Louisiana Cafe Association Showcase on Saturday, August 6, 2022.
If you want to preserve up with the event, you can adhere to @LaSeafoodBoard on Instagram and Twitter and keep up will all Louisiana Seafood Prepare dinner-Off (LASCO) activities by using the formal hashtag, #LASCO22.
Below are the bios on every single chef:
Chef Ryan Cashio
Cajun Household & Catering, LLC
Laplace, LA
A indigenous of Reserve, Louisiana, Chef Ryan Cashio is a passionate chef and a committed conservationist of Louisiana Seafood. Ryan made a enjoy for the culinary arts although cooking with his dad and mom at the early age of 7. It was at this time he realized he wanted to be a chef. Ryan graduated at the leading of his course in culinary university at Delgado. In 2002, he observed 1 of his desires develop into reality with the opening of his very own cafe and catering corporation, The Cajun Grill & Catering, in Laplace. After it was wrecked by Hurricane Ida, Ryan started organizing a new restaurant. He located a even bigger, and superior, site that tripled the dimension of the old cafe. By December 2021, Ryan and his spouse opened Cajun Residence & Catering, LLC. Ryan has taken his culinary talents to the next stage with a household-cooking spin on regular Cajun food items as he continues to develop new dishes, which lets their company to “Taste da South in ya Mouth.”
Chef Amanda Cusey
The Villa Harlequin
Lake Charles, LA
Amanda Cusey, Government Chef at The Villa Harlequin in Lake Charles, began creating her enthusiasm for food while rising up in the southwest United States. Traveling extensively through the U.S. and Europe, Amanda received her Cordon Bleu instruction at the Tante’ Marie Culinary Academy in Surrey, England. Performing her way up as a result of the ranks at quite a few places to eat in England and Ireland, she cemented her like of Italian cuisine though doing the job beneath the assistance of Kristan Burness and Brendan Ward at Fiorentina in Dublin where by she finally earned the situation of Head Chef. Prior to coming to Lake Charles, Amanda worked with Michelin Star chef Oliver Dunne as Head Chef at his Italian encouraged pop up cafe Eatily in Dublin’s city heart. Amanda is now embracing her household and bringing her twist on Italian cuisine to downtown Lake Charles at The Villa Harlequin Restaurant.
Chef Russell Davis
Eliza Cafe
Baton Rouge, LA
Chef Russell Davis’s interest in foods commenced early, surrounded by the common Southern Italian food of his mother’s family and impressed by their regard for nearby, high quality components. Russell began his occupation underneath Ella Brennan at Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, mastering every single station from busboy to Kitchen area Supervisor to Sommelier. He then turned the Ralph Brennan Cafe Group’s Director of Operations, overseeing various eating places, just before he branched out on his personal to open Saltwater Grill in the Riverbend community of New Orleans. In 2015, Russell and his spouse Sally relocated to Baton Rouge to be nearer to family members. Jointly, they opened their to start with joint enterprise, Eliza Cafe & Bar in 2016. Named just after the couple’s daughter, Eliza is a modern day Creole restaurant serving Louisiana delicacies crafted with the freshest elements from the region’s farmers and purveyors – all served with an abundance of real Southern hospitality. In 2018, the couple opened JED’s Area, an reliable Louisiana po’boy store, that includes regional Gulf seafood and a laid back, welcoming atmosphere to match. Russell’s biggest joy is in the education and cultivation of his cafe staff members. His knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm for the hospitality business is a present he’s usually ready to share with new group users to prepare them for their next techniques.
Chef David Dickensauge
Tsunami Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, LA
About 27 many years, Chef David Dickensauge has poured his everyday living into the pursuit of culinary mastery and strives day-to-day to share the culinary fashion he has figured out on his journey. Starting in New Orleans, he labored beneath James Beard Award-winner Jamie Shannon at Commander’s Palace and at New Orleans’ famous Galatoire’s. With Shannon’s encouragement, he attended and graduated from the Culinary Institute of New Orleans in 1999. He then moved again dwelling to assistance open the Beau Rivage Resort & On line casino. Yearning for a lot more knowledge, David worked in Birmingham, AL, at Hot and Incredibly hot Fish Club, Café Dupont, and Highlands Bar and Grill and Bottega Café. His subsequent stops observed him gain culinary expertise at highly acclaimed dining establishments in Miami (Norman’s), Chicago (Charlie Trotters), New York (For each Se and WD 50), and Philadelphia (Morimoto). In 2017, he yet again returned dwelling to MIssisippi to open up Corks and Cleaver. That yr, he was topped Mississippi Seafood King. David has since moved back again to Baton Rouge, and serves as the head chef for Tsunami Baton Rouge in which he feels the most challenged with his deep enjoy for Asian Food.
Chef Ben Fidelak
Mariner’s Restaurant
Natchitoches, LA
Chef Ben Fidelak’s passion for cooking started off at an early age though functioning as a line cook in his father’s cafe in Northern Ontario, Canada. His competencies have been honed several years afterwards when he opened Maison Louisiane Catering in 2001 and then The Levee Cafe in 2016 with his wife and business husband or wife Keri. In 2018, Ben sailed from Cape Town, South Africa, to French Guyana touring a lot more than 5,800 nautical miles halting at several international locations alongside the way. Ben’s culinary emphasis is to make signature dishes employing inspiration from his travels even though infusing a Southern Flair, genuine to the historic roots of Louisiana cuisine. Mariner’s Restaurant is the culmination of 20 yrs of the Fidelak’s adventures to over 40 one of a kind and incredible nations around the world. And, a handful of remarkable
stateside regions as very well! Their eating, wine, and cocktail menus reflect the world wide influence of their vacation with choices from some of their most loved destinations these kinds of as Croatia, South Africa, Switzerland, France, Poland, Greece, Italy, Austria, and more.
Chef Ryan Gaudet
Spahr’s Seafood
Des Allemands, LA
Born and elevated in Thibodaux, Louisiana, Chef Ryan Gaudet started out cooking at home at the age of 13. He embarked on his 26-12 months career as a dishwasher at Flanagan’s in Thibodaux. Ryan continued working for other regional restaurants all over the Lafourche and Terrebonne bayous until finally he later graduated from the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls Point out College in 2005. Ryan apprenticed for numerous dining establishments in the Chicago region, most notably Moto below the late Omar Cantu. He is the people’s preference award winner for the 2015 Louisiana Cafe Association’s Bayou Chapter Culinary Showcase. Ryan is the Main of Operations and Executive Chef for Spahr’s Seafood, running the functions of three Spahr’s models situated in Galliano, Thibodaux, and Des Allemands and also Malt and Burger, an previous university travel in burger and shake joint in Thibodaux. When not at do the job, Ryan is fishing out of his kayak. He enjoys catching Louisiana seafood just as much as he loves cooking it.
Chef Kyle Hudson
Beausoleil Coastal Delicacies
Baton Rouge, LA
Executive Chef Kyle Hudson has normally had a enthusiasm for cooking and the culinary arts. Even at a incredibly youthful age, he gravitated toward the electricity and activities of the kitchen area. Skillfully skilled in French approach, he loves to rejoice the regional bounty of the Gulf Coastline and all that Louisiana has to offer. Getting the option to coach with a varied team of James Beard Award successful cooks has influenced his cooking types to have an impact from South The united states, Thailand, Switzerland, and England. Kyle has been with Town Group Hospitality at Beausoleil considering the fact that October of 2021, and they search ahead to observing him mature with their Town Team Hospitality family members of concepts.
Chef Karlos Knott
Bayou Teche Brewing & Cajun Saucer
Arnaudville, LA
Chef Karlos Knott realized the foods traditions of south Louisiana by looking at his mother Rose, his grandmother Emily, and all of his aunts cooking the mandatory-to-attend Sunday supper at his grandparents’ residence. Etouffees, Gumbos, Jambalaya, Shrimp Creole, Fried Catfish – a little something was on the menu just about every 7 days to entice the extended family to push to the group of Bayou Portage to get with each other. Karlos enlisted in the Military as a Cavalry Scout and deployed to Germany for 6 years. He, his wife, and son traveled broadly although in Europe and had been amazed by the locality of European delicacies and beverage. When he returned to south Louisiana, he and his relatives opened Bayou Teche Brewing in Arnaudville with a strategy to generate beers that pair with South Louisiana’s cuisine, traditions, and life-style. The only trouble was at that time a Louisiana brewery could not open up a restaurant. After several years of get the job done and lobbying, in 2019 Louisiana authorized its breweries to increase food stuff to their menus. Karlos and his wife Stephanie opened the Cajun Saucer cafe at the brewery. Concentrating on Cajun-Inspired Italian fare, their wooden-fired oven cooks pizzas that includes Cajun toppings. Continuing the childhood classes acquired at these mandatory Sunday dinners, on particular occasions Karlos places Louisiana seafood on the menu – his Neapolitan-fashion Crawfish Etouffee, or Seafood Gumbo pizzas (with a scoop of Louisiana rice in the center) are customer favorites.
Chef Brett Monteleone
Junior’s on Harrison
New Orleans, LA
Chef Brett Monteleone is a Louisiana native born, elevated, and even now residing on the Northshore. He began doing work in the kitchen area in 1999. With above 22 several years of culinary working experience, Brett has been the Govt Chef for Junior’s on Harrison given that March 2020 and in his present job as the Government Chef for Hufft Marchand Hospitality considering that its conception in 2020. As the Executive Chef, Brett productively oversees all back of the home operations for the total organization which includes four one of a kind cafe concepts, alongside with the group’s two foodstuff trucks, all of which are located in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
Chef Amy Sins
Langlois
New Orleans, LA
A bland press kit bio are not able to prepare you for the contagious pleasure, southern allure, and barefoot shenanigans of Chef Amy Sins. She’s a mischievous host and fanatical foodstuff explorer in continuous motion. Chasing down rogue chickens, spinning stories about Louisiana meals traditions to keen diners, fishing for supper, traveling to much-off places, dreaming up dishes with Cajun and Creole flair – all component of Amy’s unpredictable, just about unbelievable dayto-day adventures bouncing all around South Louisiana (and the globe). Born and elevated in nearby Gonzales, Louisiana (the Jambalaya Money of the Earth and home of the ideal damn brown jambalaya all over), Amy didn’t follow the standard path of a New Orleans chef. No a long time in culinary faculty or humble kitchen area stints at marquee eating places. She was wired for cooking and entertaining as a child, observing her parents’ elaborate southern meal get-togethers unfold. Immediately after the event we will not identify transpired, Amy did some deep-down soul-searching that finished in strolling absent from a 20-12 months occupation in income and bootstrapping her way into building Langlois from scratch in 2012 — very first as an interactive dining/ open kitchen restaurant in the Marigny, and as the traveling culinary enjoyment group it is nowadays. Langlois is a tribute to her roots, combining Amy’s pure adore of evening meal celebration design entertaining and Louisiana lifestyle with authentic New Orleans culinary activities.
Chef Joshua Spell
Fezzo’s Seafood, Steakhouse & Oyster Bar
Crowley, LA
Chef Joshua Spell was born and elevated in Crowley, Louisiana. At the age of 14, Joshua began his perform in the cafe marketplace at Chef Roy’s in Crowley. In 1999, he began as Head Chef for Fezzo’s Seafood, Steakhouse & Oyster Bar. Over the very last 23 several years, Joshua has helped Fezzo’s grow into a multi-area operation, and a short while ago took in excess of the function of Common Supervisor for the Crowley site. Joshua is a member of the American Culinary Federation, Louisiana Restaurant Association, and Basic Chairman of The International Rice Competition. Joshua’s potential ideas consist of assisting open up a new Fezzo’s Crowley locale and serving his group for several years to arrive.
Chef Grant Wallace
Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse
New Orleans, LA
For the earlier 6 several years, Chef Grant Wallace has served as Government Chef de Cuisine at Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse. He also oversees operations at The Commissary, Dickie Brennan & Co.’s 7,000 sq. foot production kitchen in the Reduce Backyard District. Prior to that. Grant was Executive Chef Morton’s Steakhouse. He has labored with Chef Frank Brigsten at Brigsten’s, Chef Donald Link at Herbsaint, and Chef Gerard Crozier at Chateaubriand. Grant is a graduate of the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University.