Louisiana
Monroe chef to compete in Great American Seafood Cook-Off
Chef Chase Woodard of Parish Restaurant & Bar in Monroe will take part in the nation’s ultimate seafood cooking competition.
The Great American Seafood Cook-Off, presented by Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, will be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans on Saturday, August 3, 2024. The 20th annual event gets underway with an opening parade through the convention center at 10:45 a.m. and opening ceremonies at 11 a.m. as chefs, each representing their home state, cook in front of a live audience and a panel of nationally acclaimed judges. The Great American Seafood Cook-Off promotes the quality and variety of domestic seafood found in the United States.
Woodard won the title King of Louisiana Seafood in Monroe in May, beating 10 other chefs at the 17th Annual Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off. He prepared an ahi tuna dish highlighting his creativity and the superior quality of the seafood that comes from Louisiana’s shorelines and vast waterways.
“We are excited to be celebrating our 20th anniversary of this great culinary competition. It provides the perfect stage to celebrate Louisiana and America’s domestic seafood industry – the best in the world,” said Nungesser. “This year there will be a very talented field of chefs from all over the country vying to be crowned the next ‘King or Queen of American Seafood’ right here in New Orleans. Each chef will be showcasing their skills with to present the best seafood dishes with a little bit of flare from the states they are representing.”
The 2024 Great American Seafood Cook-Off competitors include:
- Chef Kyle Ogden; Odette; Florence, Alabama
- Chef Laura Cole; Culinary Adventures; Denali, Alaska
- Chef Nick Farrer; Isabel’s Amor; Gilbert, Arizona
- Chef Payne Harding; Cache Restaurant; Little Rock, Arkansas
- Chef Daniel Peters; Beach Walk Café @ Henderson Park Inn; Destin, Florida
- Chef Eric LeBlanc; Burton’s Grill & Bar; Atlanta, Georgia
- Chef Chase Woodard; Parish Restaurant & Bar; Monroe, Louisiana
- Chef Rob Dumas; University of Maine; Orono, Maine
- Chef Erin Miller; Urban Hearth; Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Chef Erika Lipe; SoLa; Oxford, Mississippi
- Chef Charif Arabe; Frank’s and Frank’s Outback; Pawleys Island, South Carolina
- Chef Kayla Keys; Lainey Wilson’s Bell Bottoms Up; Nashville, Tennessee
- Check Ryan Lachaine; Riel Restaurant; Houston, Texas
During the competition, each chef will prepare a dish highlighting the use of domestic seafood while interacting with the live audience, celebrity hosts Chef Cory Bahr – Food Network Star Finalist, Food Network Chopped! Champion, and a former King of Louisiana Seafood – and KLFY TV10’s Gerald Gruenig. Each dish will be presented to a panel of nationally renowned judges who will score based on presentation, creativity, composition, craftsmanship, and flavor.To be eligible to compete in the event, chefs must either hold the current title of King or Queen of Seafood or be appointed by the lieutenant governor of their respective state or territory. Last year’s King of American Seafood, Chef Brody Olive of Voyagers Restaurant at Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach, Alabama, took home the crown preparing Gafftop catfish smoked over scrub oak, flash-fried mole crabs with Gulf shrimp horseradish cream, pickled purslane and smoked paprika coral tuile to best 11 of the nation’s best chefs. It was the fifth time a Mississippi chef took home the title.The event is held in conjunction with the Louisiana Restaurant Association Showcase.
Previous winners of the Great American Seafood Cook-Off include:
- 2023: Brody Olive, Mississippi
- 2022: Erin Miller, Massachusetts
- 2021: Austin Sumrall, Mississippi
- 2019: Nathan Richard, Louisiana
- 2018: Ryan Trahan, Louisiana
- 2017: Lionel Uddipa, Alaska
- 2016: Alex Eaton, Mississippi
- 2015: Beau Schooler, Alaska
- 2014: Terry White, Florida
- 2013: David Crews,Mississippi
- 2012: Gregory Gourdet,Oregon
- 2011: Jim Smith,Alabama
- 2010: Dean Max, Florida
- 2009: Tory McPhail, Louisiana
- 2008: John Currence, Mississippi
- 2007: Tim Thomas, Georgia
- 2006: Justin Timineri, Florida
- 2005: Randy Evans, Texas
For more information on the competition and to learn more about the competing chefs, visit the Great American Seafood Cook-Off webpage. Follow the compeition on social media using #GASCO24.
Louisiana
‘One suicide is too many;’ Man runs across Louisiana to raise awareness for veteran, teen suicide
La. (KPLC) – A run across Louisiana has come to an end, but the conversation it sparked is far from over.
Jeremy Adams, a Louisiana veteran who served in Afghanistan, completed the run to raise money for a public high school while drawing attention to veteran and teen suicide.
The run began Friday, Dec. 18 at the Texas state line at Bon Weir and stretched more than 100 miles across the state, ending in Natchez, Mississippi.
“Finished around 10 o’clock last night (Dec. 21) in Natchez. I got a police escort by the Vidalia Police Department over the river bridge,” Adams said.
Adams says the run was not easy and hopes this inspires others to keep moving forward, no matter what battle they may be facing.
“I was tired. I ran at night. My feet are hurting; I got screws in my feet. I kept moving forward; I didn’t quit. That’s what I wanted to teach veterans and kids (contemplating) suicide, don’t quit. There’s somebody out there that cares. Don’t end the story before God gives you a chance to show you his plans,” he said.
Adams says the run raised money for East Beauregard High School, the school that Adams says gave him a second family.
“In 2017, a good friend of mine there died of a drug overdose, and that’s what got me running. I quit drinking that year, quit smoking the following May, and then I decided to start running,” Adams said.
Adams is a veteran himself and has overcome his own battles with drug and alcohol addiction, which led him to be interested in running.
“In 2011, the Lord changed everything. I got wounded by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. It shattered both my heel bones. They said it was a 50% chance I would walk again,” he said.
Although the run is over, Adams says the mission continues, urging people to talk, listen, and take action.
“One suicide is too many; there are gentlemen out there who went to battle, saw combat, and came home and still see that combat on a daily basis. If they need help, reach out and get help,” Adams said.
Adams says all proceeds from the run will go toward supporting students at East Beauregard High School.
If you’d like to donate to Adams’ cause, you can do so through his GoFundMe.
Copyright 2025 KPLC. All rights reserved.
Louisiana
Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis arrested on DWI count, State Police say
Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis was arrested on a count of driving while intoxicated over the weekend, a Louisiana State Police spokesperson said.
Lewis, 33, was arrested in West Baton Rouge Parish, officials said.
It is the West Baton Rouge Parish jail’s policy to not book first-offense DWI offenders, therefore Lewis was not held.
First offense DWI is a misdemeanor charge.
State police said Lewis was initially stopped for driving without headlights.
In a statement, Lewis said he “will be working with lawyers to contest the charge.”
“I have great respect for the men and women who serve our community in law enforcement, and I believe everyone, myself included, is accountable to the law,” he said. “I appreciate the professionalism shown during the encounter.”
Lewis said he understands “the gravity of the situation” and why the community is concerned.
“As I always have, I plan to remain accountable through both my words and my actions, not just through my words,” he said in the statement. “My hope is that our focus remains on the consistent, good work we have accomplished advocating for Louisiana’s citizens.”
The five-member Public Service Commission regulates utilities in Louisiana, like electricity, water, gas and some telecommunications. Lewis’ district covers majority-Black communities stretching from New Orleans up to West Baton Rouge Parish.
Lewis, a Democrat, is the first openly gay person elected to state office in Louisiana. Since ousting longtime commissioner Lambert Boissiere III in a 2022 election, he has been a prominent critic of Entergy and other utilities.
Lewis is also a frequent foe of Gov. Jeff Landry. In February, the PSC board voted to remove him from his role as vice chair after he called Landry an “a**hole” on the social media app X in response to a post Landry made mocking a transgender Department of Health Official in former President Joe Biden’s administration. Lewis argued he was being held to a different standard because he is Black.
Trump says he has ‘no problem’ informing Congress of Venezuela attacks
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President Donald Trump announced Sunday he is appointing Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as the special envoy to Greenland.
In a Truth Social post on Dec. 21, Trump said “Jeff understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security, and will strongly advance our Country’s Interests for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Allies, and indeed, the World,”
It was not clear whether Landry, who became governor in January 2024, would need to step down to assume this role.
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