Lucie Monk Carter
For the past six years, we at Country Roads have had the humbling opportunity to dive into the unique and marvelous small town cultures of our region and to celebrate their best kept secrets: their chefs. Every year, we are surprised, delighted, and besotted by the dishes our Small Town Chefs finalists create, and are honored to share their genius with our readers through these pages and through our annual Small Town Chefs dinner.
This year, as we navigate the challenges of selecting finalists amidst social distancing restrictions and as we anticipate the possibility of having to reschedule our July dinner, our staff is currently brainstorming innovative and interactive "Small Town Chefs" programming that will both celebrate the vital work of our culinary experts in small towns and offer you a chance to try their dishes.
In the meantime, though, we'd like to take the opportunity to recognize all twenty five of our 2020 nominees—all chefs who have made a resounding impact in their communities—and all chefs who, more than ever, deserve to be celebrated for the work they do. Over the course of the next few weeks, keep watch on our social media platforms and website as we introduce our nominees and highlight the work of these people who feed us, and who feed us so very well.
Lance Banker of Pot & Paddle Jambalaya Kitchen in Gonzales, Louisiana
Troy Bijeaux of Café Josephine in Sunset, Louisiana
Esther Carpenter of The Elms in Natchez, Mississippi
Paolo Cenni of Paolo's Restaurant and Wine Bar in Ponchatoula, Louisiana
Regina Charboneau of Regina's Kitchen in Natchez, Mississippi
Calvelene Courville of Cajun Restaurant in Kinder, Louisiana
Michael Dardenne of the St. Francisville Inn in St. Francisville, Louisiana
Donna Ewing of Ma Mama's Kitchen in New Roads, Louisiana
Jay Gielow of Café Evangeline in Ville Platte, Louisiana
Jon Gimber & Alex Robertson of Miss Kay's Sweets & Eats in West Monroe, Louisiana
Lauren Guidroz & Major Morel & of Morel's Restaurant in New Roads, Louisiana
Jude Huval of Pat's Fisherman's Wharf in Henderson, Louisiana
Johnnie Landry of Crawfish Town USA in Henderson, Louisiana
Angela Lasyone of Lasyone's Meat Pie Restaurant in Natchitoches, Louisiana
Victoria Loomis, of "The Gatherin' Girl" food blog, Natchez, Mississippi
Jodi Martin of Geaux Fresh in Minden, Louisiana
Jeff Mattia of Pyre Provisions in Covington, Louisiana
Joey Najolia of Café Lynn in Mandeville, Louisiana
Alex Perry of Vestige in Ocean Springs, Mississippi
John Reason of Backroads Steak & Seafood in Slaughter, Louisiana
Matias Rojo of Nola Mia Food Truck in Ponchatoula, Louisiana
Wei Wang "Chef Oui" of Aki in Covington, Louisiana
Nathaniel Winters of The Lookout Restaurant at Delta Downs in Vinton, Louisiana
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