Oct 24, 2022
CROWLEY, LA – Tens of thousands of rice fans descended here last week for the 85th International Rice Festival (IRF) to once again pay tribute to the mighty grain that is a staple in just about every cuisine on Earth and beloved by people and wildlife alike. The theme this year was “Fire and Rice,” a tribute to IRF President, the Chief of Crowley’s Fire Department, Louis “Buddha” Romero, Jr.
But the chief was not alone in being honored. Dr. Ronnie Levy, the rice specialist with the Louisiana State University (LSU) AgCenter was named Festival Honoree, Reece Guillot of Crowley was named Farmer of the Year, and 18-year-old Hudson LeBlanc of Rayne was named the Junior Farmer of the Year. Also honored as the rice millworkers of the year were Robert Viator who retired this summer from Supreme Rice after 43 years in the rice industry, and Lee Johnson who has worked more than a decade at Falcon Rice Mill and still is.
Festival activity was virtually non-stop with two cooking contests, two formal balls, a 5K race, a rice eating contest, a frog derby, an accordion and fiddle contest, a classic car show, carnival rides, rice threshing demonstrations, two massive parades, more than 20 musical acts on two huge stages, and the highlight, the crowning of the new Rice Festival Queen.
Last year’s First Runner Up, Sadie Zaunbrecher of Crowley, was named the 85th International Rice Festival Queen on Saturday. Her duties for the next year include representing the rice industry across the state and the country; she is scheduled to attend the 2022 USA Rice Outlook Conference in Austin, Texas; the 2023 Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, California; and the 2023 RMA Convention in the Bahamas to name a few events.
More than 100 chefs were competing for the title of Chef de Riz and the coveted chef’s coat. USA Rice’s Michael Klein, Kane Webb, and Deborah Willenborg joined Supreme Rice’s John Morgan to evaluate the dishes, finally bestowing the title on Jill Villejoin for her dish “Cajun Hibachi Steak and Rice Bowl.”
“The passion for rice and the rice industry is so apparent throughout the festival, and the pride people here take in their local grain is invigorating,” said Willenborg who was attending her first IRF. “It takes your breath away and it’s wonderful to experience.”
The 84th International Rice Festival Queen Caroline Hardy, said in her farewell speech, “I believe in the future of agriculture, the first line of the FFA Creed and a phrase that has stuck with me since I first heard it as a high school freshman in ag club. That 14-year-old girl has come a long way and may have traded in a blue corduroy jacket for a green banner and a sparkly crown but the intention of being a steadfast advocate for farmers and other agriculturists has remained, rhinestones or not.”