A ‘culinary destination’ event: The Louisiana Food and Wine Festival returns – [225]
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Photos courtesy Louisiana Food and Wine Festival
By Olivia Deffes
Photography by Collin Richie
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.
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“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.
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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.
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – The Baton Rouge Police Department confirmed two people are in critical condition and multiple others have been hurt following a shooting at the Mall of Louisiana.
The shooting is believed to have happened near the food court.
Paramedics have been called to the scene. They are setting up a triage near JC Penney.
Police are looking for one to two shooters.
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Right now, they are clearing out the drive to get in and out of the mall for emergency responders only.
Gov. Jeff Landry released a statement:
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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DESTIN, Fla. — A North Carolina man allegedly headed to do a mass shooting at a large Louisiana festival was arrested in Okaloosa County Wednesday evening.
Federal authorities contacted the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office in regards to the man. The department was told the man would be in the area.
The man’s name has not been shared by authorities.
Deputies found the man at a Destin Hotel. They took him into custody as a “fugitive from justice.”
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The man will be extradited to Louisiana to face state charges, deputies say.
The mother of three of the eight children massacred by deranged Army veteran dad Shamar Elkins in Louisiana still has a bullet lodged in her head and is struggling with her memory — sometimes believing her kids are still alive, according to a relative.
Christina Snow, the girlfriend of 31-year-old Shamar Elkins, was shot in the face early Sunday when the former National Guardsman went on a shooting rampage at two nearby homes in Shreveport.
Three of Snow’s children she shared with Elkins — Braylon Snow, 5, Khedarrion Snow, 6, and Sariahh Snow, 11 — were killed in their home.
Christina Snow (right) was shot in the face early Sunday by her 31-year-old boyfriend Shamar Elkins. Facebook/Christina SnowThree of Snow’s children she shared with Elkins — Braylon Snow, 5, Khedarrion Snow, 6, and Sariahh Snow, 11 — were killed in their home by their deranged Army veteran father. Facebook/Christina Snow
Elkins fired a bullet through Snow’s nose which is lodged in her head, and doctors aren’t ready to risk surgery, according to her cousin Jamarckus Snow.
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The mom is now dealing with heartbreaking memory loss about the fate of her kids.
“One day, she’ll remember they’re dead. I heard yesterday she woke up and was like, ‘I got to get my kids ready for school.’ She’ll lose memory of what happened,” he told NBC News.
“One day, she’ll know, and the next day, she’s thinking her kids is still there.”
Follow the latest updates on the Louisiana father who killed 8 children in Shreveport shooting:
Elkins fatally shot his seven children — the three he shared with Snow and his four daughters with his wife, Shaneiqua Pugh: Jayla Elkins, 3, Shayla Elkins, 5, Kayla Pugh, 6, and Layla Pugh, 7.
He also killed Mar’Kaydon Pugh, 10, the son of his wife’s sister, who was staying at their house.
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Elkins’ rifle used to gun down the eight children. DOJ
The vet turned his gun on Pugh and Snow, too, severely wounding both women, who are still in the hospital.
Elkins shot himself in the driveway of his former military mentor as law enforcement closed in.
The motive for the shooting remains unclear, but Elkins was suffering from mental health issues and was scheduled to appear in court on Monday after Pugh asked him for a divorce.
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