At Cook-Off, Grooming the Next Generation of Seafood Chefs
By Veronica Del Bianco
Louisiana high school senior Rebecca Beers is excited that her team qualified to compete in the upcoming Great American Seafood Cook-off: 4-H Edition, but now her mother expects her to make dinner.
Student Rebecca Beers and teammate Allison Hall will get "a feel for what the restaurant business is really like."
“They want me to help more in the kitchen now that they know I can cook,” explains Beers.
Beers’ team of high school students is one of several from four Southern states — Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and South Carolina — that will participate in the student competition of the Great American Seafood Cook-Off on August 8 in New Orleans.
“This is a huge opportunity for workforce development,” says Quincy Cheek, a family and consumer sciences agent with Louisiana State University’s AgCenter and the contest’s superintendent.
“It allows students to get a feel for what the restaurant business is really like — long hours and a lot of time on your feet.”
It also allows these budding chefs to feel the same adrenaline-fueled rush of excitement as the 13 professional chefs who will compete for the title of “King of American Seafood” on the same stage two days earlier.
At last year’s event, the competition put a spotlight on Louisiana shrimp, but his year’s dishes can feature any domestic seafood. Participants are encouraged to weave into their dishes ingredients from their home states.
Contestants will have one hour to make five plates — four for the judges and one for the media — and give a presentation explaining the dish, how they came up with it, how they addressed food-handling safety, and what economic impact their featured seafood ingredient has on their home state.
“What surprised me was how fast 60 minutes goes by,” says Beers, but the cooking is easy compared with talking with the judges. “When they are standing right in front of you it is intimidating.”
At the big event Beers and her teammate Allison Hall will be making Crawfish Bundles, an adaptation of meat pies. They choose to highlight crawfish because it’s a personal favorite as well as a uniquely Louisiana food that contributes to the local economy.
In preparation, Beers and Hall will cook Crawfish Bundles for friends and family the week before the contest. “We are nervous,” says Beers, “but it’s a great experience.”
Category: News
