The Louisiana Food Prize

All your cooking show fantasies—live and in person

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Food Network junkies, rejoice: there’s a live-action competitive cooking festival that’s hit the Shreveport scene, providing all the Top Chef-style thrills of watching chefs face off, with the added excitement of getting to smell and taste the results.

The Louisiana Food Prize is one part of the trifecta of Louisiana Prize Fest, with cooking events interspersed among Louisiana Film Prize screenings and live concerts that make up the Louisiana Music Prize. Conceived in 2012 as a “small town film festival,” Prize Fest has expanded and morphed over the last five years into the ultimate interdisciplinary festival experience; with food, film, and music abounding, and something to offer everyone.

My priorities happen to be greatly skewed toward eating, so I chose to focus on the Food Prize aspect of the Fest this year. The extended weekend comprised tastings, demonstrations, competitions and more, with the ultimate goal of deciding which of five local chefs will be the winner of the coveted “Golden Fork.”  Anticipation has never been so tasty.

The event that kicked off the festivities on Wednesday, October 4, was aptly named “Come and Get It! A Wine and Dining Experience.” The phrase “Wine and dining experience” naturally set the bar for my expectations quite high and was still easily surpassed by the delightful and tasty evening soirée.

The third floor of the beautiful Remington Suites Hotel in downtown Shreveport provided the perfect backdrop for more than half a dozen chefs (some from Shreveport, others flown in from culinary destinations like New York) to serve a delightfully diverse array of small plates, each more flavorful and meticulously crafted than the next. Banners flaunting the Louisiana Food Prize logo accompanied by quotes from culinary greats like James Beard and Anthony Bourdain adorned the industrial-chic backdrop of brick walls. Open bars serving perfectly-paired selections of wine, local brewery Great Raft’s fantastic beer, and craft cocktails were nestled plentifully throughout the vast space; lubricating conversation amongst a fascinating mix of well-connected and culinarily inclined locals as well as visitors who traveled from all over to experience flavorful entertainment of the event.

After indulging in an excessive amount of small plates (provoked by an endless stream of friends’ and strangers’ suggestions: “You have to try the risotto dish,” etc.), we refreshed our glasses and made our way onto the breezy rooftop for the first competitive event: the “One Pot” Chef Relay. The five local chefs competing for the Golden Fork were partnered with another chef, forming five teams. Each team was given a ten-minute shift, with one giant pot and a pantry of potential ingredients, and tasked with making additions to the concoction the other teams began. The kicker? The chefs weren’t allowed to watch the previous teams cook, meaning they had to continue the dish based on smell and taste alone.

Food and restaurant critic for San Diego Magazine and Judge on Food Network show Guy’s Grocery Games Troy Johnson hosted the event with impressive culinary knowledge, a brutally sharp sense of humor, and a great deal of beer. The high stakes and amazing smells kept the audience’s attention locked throughout the challenge—I’ve never before witnessed a group of people so worked up over the chopping of an onion. The audience gasped in surprise and cheered in affirmation as each team added ingredients to the collective dish. Though the first few teams left a dish that was distinctly Creole at its core, the Trinidadian influence of Brooklyn Chef Tristen Epps and other unexpected additions resulted in a final product that was distinctive, yet delicious. I know, because that’s the beauty of the Louisiana Food Prize: we, the audience, got to try the dish at the end. Though the combination of mirepoix and andouille sausage with black beans, spinach, coconut milk, and other incongruous ingredients looked less than appetizing, the combined efforts of so many expert palates came together to create a dish as delectable as it was unpredictable.

The following day, I attended a demonstration lunch by Chefs Tom Ramsey and Tristen Epps, also held on the rooftop of the Remington (which was even more lovely in the daytime). The organizers of the event ensured that everyone was equipped with their beverage of choice (wine was flowing liberally despite the 11 am start time) as we sat down in the shade to watch our lunch’s entertaining preparation. The best part of the demonstration was that right when you thought you couldn’t watch any more because of the anticipation of how delicious it looked, lunch was served. Tom Ramsey prepared fresh pasta with a hearty and delicious pork Cabonara sauce that tasted as though it could have been served on an Italian countryside. To compliment, Tristen Epps prepared a fresh and bright flounder ceviche that utilized a delightfully creative blends of citrus, herbs, and a buttermilk foam for a touch of creaminess.

After a day’s hiatus, during which we experienced the other eclectic and amazing tastes Shreveport and Bossier City have to offer, I returned Friday night for the climax of the festival: the Battle for the Golden Fork. Very much providing a street festival vibe, this competition was held in the bustling heart of downtown Shreveport on Texas Street. The five local finalists, who were reduced from a pool of twenty nominated chefs by the Society of the Golden Fork as well as a poll by the Shreveport Times, included Eleazar Mondragon, Jacob Mouser, Melissa Stewart, John Strand, and George Beaird. In the most Top Chef-like event of the week, the finalists were each given five surprise ingredients and an hour of time to create a dish that would impress the panel of chef and food critic judges. The massive audience seemed to collectively hold its breath as the five secret ingredients were announced: pork cutlets, micro greens, duck eggs, raw sugar cane, and key lime balsamic vinegar. Host Tom Ramsey provided humor and commentary as the ingredients began to fly, the weight of the $5,000 cash prize providing plenty of motivation for the chefs to move quickly and efficiently. In a particularly exciting moment, Chef Melissa Stewart’s burner went out, and we bit our nails as she deftly improvised by using her oven as an alternate heat source. The anticipation culminated until the famed “Time is up, put your utensils down,” moment, and the crowd turned to the judges to hear their verdict.

After extensive deliberations, the team of judges awarded Chef Eleazar Mondragon of restaurant Ki’ Mexico with the coveted Golden Fork. After everyone in attendance sang Happy Birthday to the winner/coincidentally birthday boy, most of the crowd migrated to Parish Taceaux for unique tacos created by the celebrity chefs.

With the stress of the main competition lifted, and foodies from near and far still assembled, I headed back downtown on Saturday morning for the final event of the Food Prize, and one I particularly looked forward to: Biscuit Breakfast with Regina Charboneau, the nationally renowned “Biscuit Queen of Natchez, Mississippi.” Held at Parish Taceaux, the organizers continued to demonstrate their understanding that those of us who love to eat tend to indulge elsewhere, as perfectly spicy bloody Marys and mimosas made their way around the room on trays carried by pleasant waitresses. We then watched a comprehensive and humorous biscuit-making presentation by the vivacious and charismatic Charboneau and at its completion had the opportunity to enjoy her biscuits for ourselves in a variety of ways, again prepared by the celebrity chefs in attendance. Dishes included English pub-style shirred eggs (eggs dropped into brown butter, cream, and other delectable boiling liquids), with the unpredictable combination of eggplant, and a biscuit made by the Biscuit Queen herself with a Creole tomato jam; a classic chicken ’n’ dumplings made by dropping the biscuit dough into hot and flavorful stew; a phenomenal fried chicken and honey-butter biscuit interpretation; and my unexpected favorite, a shortcake of sorts featuring a biscuit topped with a blackberry compote and a creamy and rich foam made from pureed corn, topped with surprisingly sweet and crispy dehydrated corn kernels prepared by Chef Epps.

Needless to say, I drove away from Shreveport at the end of the eventful week not only with a renewed love of cooking and several new tips and tricks under my belt, but also very, very full. My only complaint about the Louisiana Food Prize is that it has perhaps ruined Top Chef for me forever (and, of course, that I have to wait until next October to experience it again).

To learn more about all that Prize Fest entailed—and to make your plans for next year—visit PrizeFest.org.