LAKE CHARLES, LA – The Louisiana Food and Wine Festival, held over the weekend, made a calendar change from last year, trading the heat of late summer for a cooler early spring. Increased turnout at the four-day event was the result as more than a thousand food and fine beverage seekers made their way through the booths and demonstrations at Bord Du Lac Park here.
Chefs from around the state showcased their specialties, including Ronald Stelly, a guest chef from Crowley stationed at the USA Rice booth located in the VIP tent, who cooked up a mouth-watering étouffée made with U.S.-grown jasmine and crawfish tails from Supreme Crawfish. Those with VIP access were rewarded with samples of the savory dish that was crowned “Best Overall” out of all the other food entries at the festival in a contest determined by a panel of judges and votes by attendees.
Also available at the USA Rice booth were samples of Louisiana rice brands from Cajun Country Rice, Farmers Rice, Four Sisters, Parish Rice, and Supreme Rice, highlighting “local” options consumers can find in their grocery stores. Each interaction with ticketholders was an opportunity to point out the importance of choosing a product with the “Grown in the USA” logo on the packaging to ensure they were buying homegrown versus imported rice, supporting their neighbors in the U.S. rice industry.
At Saturday’s “Grand Tasting” event, USA Rice and the LA Rice Growers Association (LARGA) provided goodie bags for attendees filled with recipe cards, branded swag, and a LARGA promotional bag of Louisiana jasmine as a special VIP treat.
“We were excited to have USA Rice’s continued support for this event showcasing Louisiana’s culinary talent and unique cuisine,” said Jan Gourly, with The Ad Fish Group, who organizes the festival. “It’s a special way to share the importance of our industry and show off the wide variety of delicious regional ingredients that are critical to that cuisine.”
Next year’s event will be scheduled in March again, and USA Rice plans to be there highlighting the importance of Louisiana and U.S.-grown rice with another round of crawfish étouffée to seal the deal!