Louisiana

A 'culinary destination' event: The Louisiana Food and Wine Festival returns – [225]

Published

1 year ago

September 1, 2024

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A ‘culinary destination’ event: The Louisiana Food and Wine Festival returns – [225]

Photos courtesy Louisiana Food and Wine Festival

By Olivia Deffes
Photography by Collin Richie
September 1, 2024

Most of the U.S. has heard of Louisiana’s spicy, ruby red crawfish, tasty boiled shrimp and hearty crab-filled dishes. But Jan Gourley, founder and director of the Louisiana Food and Wine Festival, encourages local, regional and national attendees to bust out of their culinary comfort zones.

“(We’re) opening their eyes to boudin, cracklins, andouille and things that Louisiana is known for,” she says.

The Louisiana Food and Wine Festival aims to prove there’s good cookin’ to be found not only in New Orleans but statewide—and particularly in Acadiana, where the event is staged. Hosted at locations around Lake Charles, the festival Sept. 19-22 returns for its second year with formal six-course dinners, tastings, cooking classes, barbecues and more. Attendees should bring their appetite for three days of tasty events, plus an introductory dinner on Thursday.

“What I try to explain to people is that the Cajun and Creole culture that Louisiana has built its famous cuisine on truly lives in Acadiana and southwest Louisiana,” Gourley says. “(This festival) is more of an authentic Louisiana experience.”

Last year’s inaugural event lured attendees from every parish in Louisiana along with others from Texas, Alabama, Mississippi and even Canada, Gourley says.

“A lot of people had said, ‘It’s going to be a hit-or-miss thing,’” Gourley says. “‘People probably won’t get it because it’s the first year, and it’s a lot different from every other festival.’ But they did. … The objective of creating a culinary destination event, I believe, was achieved.”

Things kick off on Thursday, Sept. 19, with Louisiana’s Celebrity Chefs Wine Dinner. Held at L’Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles, the meal will feature six courses prepared by acclaimed chefs. Each plate will be expertly paired with a wine.

The festival continues on Friday with master classes taught by celebrity chefs with themes like “The Perfect Wine & Oyster Pairings” and “Southern Inspired Smokey Seafood Mac & Cheese.” That evening, pitmasters will serve up grilled dishes for Fire on the Lake. The Grand Tasting event on Saturday and a lively Jazz Brunch on Sunday close it all out.

“(We hope to) introduce people to new things,” Gourley says. “Especially people that are not from Louisiana that have never heard about what maque choux is. Last year, we had a pitmaster that had an alligator on a spit.”

Louisiana Food & Wine Festival

Sept. 19-22
Locations vary | Lake Charles

louisianafoodandwinefestival.com

This article was originally published in the September 2024 issue of 225 Magazine.

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Louisiana

How Trump’s AI executive order impacts Louisiana

Published

10 hours ago

December 20, 2025

Press Room

How Trump’s AI executive order impacts Louisiana

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) – The federal government is building a nationwide standard as the United States competes in a global A.I. race, much the same as the Space Race of the 20th century.

Last week, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at establishing a uniform federal regulatory framework for artificial intelligence in the United States.

The order emphasized a need for AI companies to be allowed to innovate without hinderance from excessive regulations, so that the system would not become fragmented.

Marva Bailer is the CEO and founder of Qualaix, which works to improve productivity and innovation with AI through conversations. She said this framework a step towards realizing an untapped potential in the United States for innovation and productivity through AI.

“We are leading the AI race,” said Bailer. “What is getting people’s attention is there are areas that we could be a lot stronger and lean in a lot faster.”

We spoke with KALB political analyst Greg LaRose to learn how this new framework might impact Louisiana’s development.

Since 2024, the construction of multiple AI data centers has been announced across the state, with each new center estimated to be worth billions of dollars and promising new jobs and growth for Louisiana.

According to LaRose, the executive order should not realistically confine any of the state’s major AI projects.

“Through the Louisiana lens at that executive order from President Trump, I’m not really seeing anything that really confines what’s going on in the state.”

The majority of the state’s laws are concerned with deep fakes.

In October, Louisiana governor Jeff Landry issued his own executive order which banned, “Communist Chinese AI platforms’ from systems within state government.”

While it is unclear how Louisiana will enforce Landry’s order, LaRose said the state does face other concerns.

“I think they’re more concerned about giving China access to the data that is used to create, say, a Louisiana-based deep fake or any type of issue,” said LaRose. “For example, like transcription software that people are increasingly using to make record-keeping a lot easier. I think the idea is that that type of information be kept out of hands that we don’t want it in.”

This, as the global AI race heats up heading into 2026.

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Louisiana

Third inmate who escaped from southern Louisiana jail captured, officials say

Published

22 hours ago

December 20, 2025

Press Room

Third inmate who escaped from southern Louisiana jail captured, officials say

December 19, 2025 / 11:28 PM EST
/ CBS/AP

The last of two inmates who had been on the run since escaping from a jail in the southern Louisiana city of Opelousas earlier this month has been caught, officials said Friday. A third inmate who was also part of the escape died by suicide after being caught by police, authorities previously said.

Keith Anthony Eli II, 24, was taken into custody in Opelousas, St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz said in a news release. Opelousas is located about 25 miles north of Lafayette.

Guidroz said Eli was captured by narcotics detectives and a SWAT team thanks to a tip.

At the time of his escape, Eli was held on an attempted second-degree murder charge.

The three men had escaped the St. Landry Parish Jail on Dec. 3 by removing concrete blocks from an upper wall area, Guidroz said at the time.

Authorities said the inmates then used sheets and other materials to scale the exterior wall, climb onto a first-floor roof and lower themselves to the ground, Guidroz said.

Escapee Jonathan Joseph, 24, was captured on Dec. 5. He is in custody on multiple charges, including first-degree rape.

Joseph Harrington, 26, faced several felony charges, including home invasion. On Dec. 4, one day after the escape, he was recognized by a tipster while pushing a black e-bike. Police found the e-bike at a neighboring home and heard a gunshot while trying to coax him to leave the building. He had shot himself with a hunting rifle, Port Barre Police Chief Deon Boudreaux said by telephone to The Associated Press.

The escape came more than seven months after 10 inmates broke out of a New Orleans jail. All ten of since been captured.

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Louisiana

MS Goon Squad victim arrested on drug, gun charges in Louisiana. Bond set

Published

1 day ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

MS Goon Squad victim arrested on drug, gun charges in Louisiana. Bond set

Eddie Terrell Parker, a victim in the “Goon Squad” case, was arrested in Louisiana on multiple charges.
Parker was stopped for traffic violations and allegedly found with several narcotics and at least one firearm.
The charges include possession with intent to distribute several drugs and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Parker and another man previously settled a $400 million lawsuit against Rankin County after being tortured by former officers.

Eddie Terrell Parker, one of two men who settled a civil lawsuit against Rankin County and the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department in the “Goon Squad” case, was arrested Wednesday, Dec. 17, and is being held in a northeast Louisiana jail on multiple charges.

Louisiana State Police Senior Trooper Ryan Davis confirmed details of the incident to the Clarion Ledger via phone call on Friday, Dec. 19.

Davis said Parker was traveling east on Interstate 20 in Madison Parish, Louisiana, when a trooper observed Parker committing “multiple traffic violations.” Davis said the trooper conducted a traffic stop, identified themselves and explained the reason for the stop.

Parker was allegedly found in possession of multiple narcotics, along with at least one firearm.

Parker was booked around 8 p.m. Wednesday into the Madison Parish Detention Center in Tallulah, Louisiana, on the following charges, as stated by Davis:

Possession of marijuana with intent to distribute
Possession of ecstasy with intent to distribute
Possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute
Possession of cocaine with intent to distribute
Possession of drug paraphernalia
Possession of a firearm in the presence of a controlled substance
Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon

Details about the quantity of narcotics found in Parker’s possession were not immediately available.

Davis told the Clarion Ledger that Parker received a $205,250 bond after appearing before a judge.

Parker, along with another man named Michael Jenkins, was tortured and abused on Jan. 24, 2023, at a home in Braxton, at the hands of six former law enforcement officers who called themselves “The Goon Squad.” Parker and Jenkins filed a lawsuit in June 2023 against Rankin County and Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey.

Each of the six former Mississippi law enforcement officers involved in the incident are serving prison time for state and federal charges. Those officers were identified as former Rankin County deputies Brett McAlpin, Hunter Elward, Christian Dedmon, Jeffrey Middleton and Daniel Opdyke, and former Richland police officer Joshua Hartfield.

Court documents show U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III issued an order on April 30 dismissing a $400 million lawsuit brought by Jenkins and Parker, saying that the two men had reached a settlement with the county and Bailey. Jenkins and Parker sought compensatory damages, punitive damages, interest and other costs.

According to court records, the case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled. However, the order stated that if any party fails to comply with settlement terms, any aggrieved party may reopen the matter for enforcement of the settlement.

Jason Dare, legal counsel for the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department, stated the settlement agreement totaled to $2.5 million. According to Dare, the settlement was not an admission of guilt on the county’s or the sheriff’s department’s part.

Pam Dankins is the breaking news reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Have a tip? Email her at pdankins@gannett.com.

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