Last night the city of Lafayette helped to crown a new Queen of Louisiana Seafood at the annual Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off. And yes, we have a Queen and not a king as Chef Amanda Cusey bested eleven other competitors to claim the title.

Visit Lake Charles via Twitter
Visit Lake Charles via Twitter
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Cusey was a first-time competitor in the Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off which has been held in Lafayette for the past few years. The "Cook-Off" coincides with Lafayette's annual Eat Lafayette Campaign which spotlights locally owned and operated restaurants during the summer season.

Chef Cusey plies her trade in Lake Charles where she is a chef at The Villa Harlequin. That restaurant on Pujo Street in Lake Charles is known for their Sunday Brunch and their exquisite combination of fine steaks and incredible Italian dishes.

Louisiana Department of Culture,Recreation, and Tourism
Louisiana Department of Culture,Recreation, and Tourism
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The dish Chef Cusey prepared for the Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off last night was a pan-seared Red Drum over a tomato polenta and topped with a crawfish cream sauce. Yeah, that's a picture of it above and I did just lick my computer screen to see if I could taste it.

Second Place in the competition went to Amy Sins who is a chef at Langlois in New Orleans and Baton Rouge Chef David Dickensauge of Tsunami in Baton Rouge earned third place honors. Meanwhile, Chef Cusey will begin preparations for the Great American Seafood Cook-Off. That will take place in New Orleans on August 6th.

Courtesy Great American Seafood Cookoff
Courtesy Great American Seafood Cookoff
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In addition to competing in the Great American Seafood Cook-Off Cusey will also become an ambassador for Louisiana seafood around the state and around the world. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser said that Cusey, and all winners of the Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off take on that role with honor. Nungesser said Cusey and her fellow competitors will help spread the gospel of great Louisiana seafood and the many families in our state that derive their livelihood from the sea.

If you'd like to learn more about the Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off and get some of the recipes from some of the current and past participants you can visit the Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off website. 

Meanwhile, for those of us who struggle in the kitchen, we can't offer you some great cooking tips but we can at least explain how to get the lid off that jar you've been struggling with.

6 Surefire Hacks to Open Any Stubborn Jar Lid

As you can see this man is trying to use his telekinetic powers to open these jars. If he continues he will go hungry. You, however, know that there are secret methods to getting these jars to go topless and reveal their bounty. What? You don't know the secrets? Well then scroll on my friend you're about to get your PhD in lid removal.

 

 

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