About the Small Town Chefs Awards

The annual award and dinner that celebrates the culinary magic on display in Louisiana towns of fewer than 25,000 people.

Established in 2014, Country Roads annual Small Town Chefs Awards exist to showcase the culinary passion on display in Louisiana towns of fewer than 25,000 people.

How are the winners chosen?

Each year we invite our network of culinary professionals, restaurant writers, travel professionals, and Country Roads readers to nominate their favorite chefs working culinary magic in Louisiana's small towns. Then, working with a panel of cuisine writers well-versed in Louisiana's regional food scene, we narrow those nominations to a list of nine finalists, considering criteria such as food quality, menu creativity, dish presentation, and quality of the overall dining experience.  

Then the real fun begins. During April and May, Country Roads' culinary writers fan out across the state, making visits to each finalist's restaurant to wine and dine, to meet nominated chefs, and chat with other diners. Then we gather to compare notes and do the difficult but delicious work of selecting three outstanding chefs to receive the current year's awards. The identity of these three culinary wizards will be revealed when we tell their stories in our July "Cuisine" issue.

Come Taste!

After that, it's over to you! All are invited when the Small Town Chefs Awards Dinner returns to Baton Rouge's Louisiana Culinary Institute on Sunday, August 20.

The dinner will showcase signature dishes from the winning chefs, served as a four-course sit-down dinner paired with craft cocktails created by the city's hottest new restaurant, BRQ. What better way to get a taste of Louisiana's most creative small-town flavors, without all the driving?

Who Benefits?

With a mission to celebrate the culture of South Louisiana from a regional perspective, we created this award to shine a light on standout chefs who have chosen to work their culinary magic outside of the state's big cities—where so much of the culinary coverage is focused. The Small Town Chefs Awards are presented in conjunction with the Louisiana Culinary Institute and proceeds benefit the LCI Foundation, which provides scholarships to deserving LCI students, and provides food to charitable organizations that feed the homeless or needy. For more information on the LCI Foundation, visit lci.edu.