NOWFE

New Orleans, Louisiana - The New Orleans Wine & Food Experience (NOWFE) is responding in earnest to the situation Louisiana fishermen are facing in the Gulf waters by dedicating the Saturday Grand Tasting to a “Celebration of Louisiana Seafood” and offering a special fundraising dinner at Restaurant August later that evening. Proceeds from these events will be dedicated to the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation in partnership with the Louisiana Seafood Board. Food Network's reigning Southern Belle, Paula Deen, will highlight this year's revelry with a special appearance on Saturday, May 29. Louisiana's own "bayou boy," and TLC celebrity chef John Besh will join Deen in a cooking demonstration on the Main Stage at 3:15pm. "I am so excited to be a part of a celebration of Louisiana seafood," states Deen. "To me Louisiana seafood is just divine, and we need to pay tribute to that." The Friday and Saturday Grand Tastings are the culminating events of NOWFE's 4-day extravaganza and are truly "Grand" experiences for both foodies and wine connoisseurs, pairing extensive offerings from 75 of New Orleans' finest chefs and a selection of more than 1000 wines from around the world. (To purchase tickets visit www.nowfe.com)

Celebrity chef Aaron Sanchez will also join in the festivities by presenting a cooking demonstration of his own during the Saturday Grand Tasting at 2:00pm. In addition to the special cooking demonstrations, eleven Louisiana chefs will participate in the third annual Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off hosted by the Louisiana Seafood Board. The winning chef, crowned the "King or Queen of Louisiana Seafood," will represent Louisiana in the seventh annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off. "It is vitally important for us to remind consumers that Louisiana seafood is still readily available and safe for consumption," states Ewell Smith, Executive Director of the Louisiana Seafood Board. "Louisiana produces one-third of the seafood for the continental US, and 70% of the seafood from the Gulf of Mexico, creating a $2.4 billion industry that supports over 27,000 jobs."

“The response from these chefs is overwhelming,” states Octavio Mantilla, 2010 NOWFE Board President. "Their efforts will enable us make a substantial contribution that will support our local fishermen and help us to preserve these national treasures-- our Louisiana Coastline and Fisheries." To continue the celebration, Deen, her husband Captain Michael Groover, and her brother Earl 'Bubba Hiers of Bubba's Oyster House, will be joined by chefs Besh, and Sanchez in their support of Louisiana fishermen with a fundraising dinner at Besh’s flagship restaurant, August, on Saturday night at 7pm. Restaurant August will generously donate 100% of the proceeds from this dinner to the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation. Reservations for the six-course dinner, paired with exceptional wines, showcasing Gulf Coast seafood specialties are $300 per person; event sponsorships that include a table of ten, V.I.P reception, and commemorative photograph are available for $5,000. To reserve a seat or sponsor the event, contact Christy Bradley at 504.565.5482 or cbradley@chefjohnbesh.com.



The New Orleans Wine & Food Experience is a non-profit organization. The Board of the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience donates 100% of the events’ profit to support their programs and foundations. Proceeds from the 2010 event will benefit the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation in partnership with the Louisiana Seafood Board, University of New Orleans School of Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism, the Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Foundation's ProStart Program, The Chef John Folse Culinary Institute, Delgado Community College Culinary Arts Program, New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts Culinary Arts Program, Girls First, Cancer Crusaders, Southern Animal Foundation, Coach Sean Payton’s Play It Forward Foundation and Fore! Kids Foundation. For more information please visit www.nowfe.com

The Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board was created in 1984 by the state of Louisiana to support their vast historical commercial fisheries industry. The Board is composed of 15 members and each member represents a sector of the industry: harvesters, processors, wholesalers, restaurateurs/retailers, fisheries resource managers, public health officers and marketing specialists. The Board’s operating budget is derived from license sales to Louisiana commercial fishermen and seafood wholesalers/retailers as well as state and federal grants. The Board represents over 12,000 fishermen while promoting and marketing $2.6 billion of retail seafood sales annually to the consumer.

Paula Deen is a restaurateur from Savannah, Georgia who hosts the Food Network cooking shows Paula's Home Cooking. Paula opened her first restaurant in early 1990, and by the end of the decade her home-style southern cooking had gained national attention. She's the anti-chef of the Food Network, a self-taught cook and advocate of the butter-n-bacon approach, with an empire that includes her Savannah restaurant (The Lady & Sons), a magazine (Cooking With Paula Deen), several cookbooks and a memoir (It Ain't All About the Cookin').

John Besh is a native of South Louisiana and owner of six successful restaurants in New Orleans—Restaurant August, Besh Steak, Lüke, La Provence, Domenica at The Roosevelt Hotel and The American Sector at The National World War II Museum. He has won numerous awards including the James Beard Foundation Award for “Best Chef Southeast” in 2006, Food & Wine’s “Top 10 Best New Chefs in America”, Gourmet’s “Guide to America’s Best Restaurants,” and “America’s Top 50 Restaurants”. Most recently he was featured on Food Networks Next Iron Chef and Bravo’s Top Chef Masters.


Joint release by Liz and Simon

Kettle Chips

A favor I have not tried and it not the krinkle cut. Sometimes the simplest is the best. Nice and salty with a flavor that you would get if you sprinkled malt vinegar on them but none of the irritating sogginess. Another winner.

Naked

I love this drink. Sometimes I need to pick up a few things at the grocery store and I usually go to the 12th st Krogers because it is on the way home. If I do I pick up a new flavor of Kettle Chips and my favorite flavor of Naked. Green Machine. I've tried others and also Odwalla drinks (almost threw up terrible) but this is the one. It has a green taste. That is the only way I can describe it. Grassy and herbal but I love it.

Fast Food Monday

Could not help it I had to have it and now that my curiosity is satisfied I can do without it. If they could find a way to make sure you got cheese and bacon in every bite it might be worth it. This was not as the chicken was room temperature and had been that way for awhile. My suggestion is not to Double Down at KFC
I like Eric Cormier am on a quest to find a good fish taco in town. Que Pasa's is garbage and so it the one at Long John Silvers. A good fish taco needs a fresh corn tortilla with fried fish, a fine cut cabbage slaw and a spicy sauce. Have not found that yet. Izzo's one during lent came the closest

Kettle Chips

Another winning flavor. A nice sharp mustard bite with just enough honey sweet underlying taste to curb the edge. Every single chip. I can not wait to get to the bottom the bag where the seasoning is more than the chips. This series will probably be ending soon because I think I have had every flavor available in Lake Charles

NY Strip

Pan seared grass fed New York Strip steak. Coated with Emeril's asian blend then cooked med rare in a cast iron skillet served with pan sauce and mashed potatoes from a bag. That new ore ida product that you steam in the microwave and then mash. Not to bad on either

Rachelle

I was just about to turn in my review when I heard they had to close. I know they are looking at another venue. I do not know if the menu will be the same but I will have to take a fresh look at them. For those who missed or are missing this venue I offer a slide show of my first time around. Here is to the hope they reopen soon.