On Wednesday, October 23rd,the state of
Louisiana will bring eleven top chefs from across the state to partner with
Atlanta restaurants to showcase its vibrant, world-class cuisine. The Louisiana in Atlanta Restaurant Night is
presented by the Louisiana Culinary Trails as
a collaborative pop-up with top Atlanta restaurants to offer guests unique
specialty dishes or prix-fixe menus that reflect the flavors and rich history
of the region, available for one-night-only.
Featured
Atlanta restaurant hosts include Bacchanalia, C&S Seafood and Oyster Bar,
Canoe, Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q, Full Commission, Holeman & Finch Public House, KR
Steakbar, Lagarde, Mary Mac's Tea Room, Serpas True Food and UMI.
"Atlanta
has an incredible restaurant community and we are so thrilled to bring our
culinary talent here to collaborate and showcase the cuisine and culinary
traditions of our state," said Jill Kidder, Louisiana Travel Association
President & CEO. "We hope that by giving Atlantan's a taste of Louisiana it
will encourage diners to think of visiting Louisiana for their next trip." The Louisiana
in Atlanta Restaurant Night is part of the Louisiana Culinary Trails
campaign, a long-standing joint venture between the Louisiana Travel Association,
the Louisiana Office of Tourism and eighteen convention and visitors bureaus
from across the state.
Guests
are highly encouraged to make reservations in advance at each of the
participating restaurants to experience the one-night-only specialty menus.
Participating
Louisiana chefs and restaurant pairings include:
CHEF JERROD 'WU' ADAMS | TSUNAMI SUSHI, LAFAYETTE,
LA
Chef Jerrod 'Wu' Adams first start in a professional kitchen gave him insight
on what one should look like and how it should be run. He knew he was
interested in pursuing a career in the culinary industry and was instantly
hooked after competing with a few chefs with Prejean's. Jerrod has been with Tsunami Sushi for ten years, making his way up from
dishwasher all the way to his current position as Executive Chef where he has
helped maintain Tsunami's presence in the community and status of such
accolades as "Best Asian Restaurant" and "Best Sushi" in Acadiana. Chef Jerrod
"Wu" Adams will be partnering with Chef Fuyuhiko Ito at Umi.
CHEF RYAN ANDRE | SOJI RESTAURANT AND BAR, BATON
ROUGE, LA
Chef Ryan Andre has always loved the flavors of Louisiana cuisine and the
outdoors. A native of Gonzales, his passion for cooking was fueled by his
family and his first job in a kitchen at J. Alexander's in Baton Rouge. He has
earned numerous culinary awards by using his God-given talent of plate
presentations and flavor profiling. Among the awards was the 2012 "Chef to
Watch" from Louisiana Cookin magazine, named one of the 225 Magazine Best Chefs
2017, and an impressive sting on Food Network and Travel Channel shows. Ryan is
now chef/owner of Soji Modern Asian Restaurant and Bar in Baton Rouge that
received 225 Magazine Best New Restaurant as well as naming Best Chef 2019.
Chef Ryan Andre will be partnering with chef Anne Quatrano at Bacchanalia.
CHEF LYLE BROUSSARD | JACK DANIEL'S ® BAR & GRILL AT
L'AUBERGE CASINO RESORT, LAKE CHARLES, LA
Chef Lyle Broussard is known for his Cajun and Creole flavors and his passion
for southwest Louisiana culture and cuisine, dating back to time spent perched
next to his grandmother's stovetop where he developed a passion for food. He
brought those skills to L'Auberge, located in Louisiana; a 26-story luxury resort
with 1,000 rooms and suites, championship golf course, full-service spa,
extensive meeting space, expansive casino and eight dynamic restaurants
including Jack Daniel's® Bar & Grill. Chef Broussard's love of
his local heritage carries over to the menu with authenticity, deep flavors and
a simplicity that allows the ingredients to do the talking. Chef Lyle Broussard
will be partnering with Jonathan and Justin Fox at Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q.
CHEF JEREMY CONNER | SPOONBILL WATERING HOLE &
RESTAURANT, LAFAYETTE, LA
Born in Opelika, Alabama, Chef Jeremy Conner grew up and began his career in
the kitchens of Pensacola, Florida, before flourishing as a chef in Lafayette,
Louisiana. For years, chef Conner set out to follow the trails of his
ingredients back to the people and the stories at their origins, sharing his
findings with his Humble Fish dinner series, Gulf of Mexico sea salt business,
Cellar Salt Co., and his participation in the 2019 Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off.
Now, chef Conner shares those stories with patrons of Spoonbill Watering Hole & Restaurant. Chef Jeremy
Conner will be partnering with chef Jon Schwenk at C&S Seafood and Oyster Bar.
OWNER/CHEF DAVE EVANS | LUNA BAR & GRILL, LAKE
CHARLES, LA
Being a musician and a culinary artist, Dave Evans takes pride in delivering
excellence both on the stage and in the kitchen. Luna Bar & Grill has been the cornerstone of downtown
Lake Charles for over a decade and has achieved great success as a staple
restaurant in Southwest Louisiana. Listed as either number one or second
favorite in Southwest Louisiana's Top 20 Local Favorites Restaurant Competition
for the past 7 years, Luna Bar & Grill offers one of the most popular jazz
brunches in town. Chef Dave Evans will be partnering with chef Scott Serpas at Serpas True Food.
CHEF TENNEY FLYNN | GW FINS, New Orleans, LA
Growing up cooking in his father's restaurant in Stone Mountain, Georgia, Flynn
developed an innate understanding of Southern food and culinary
traditions. Chef Flynn began his fine dining career at some of Atlanta's
top restaurants before making his way down to New Orleans where he opened GW Fins. Since launching GW Fins in 2001, Chef Flynn has
developed a reputation as one of the most knowledgeable and discriminating
seafood chefs in the country. A certified diver and spear fisher, he is one of
the few chefs in the country licensed to serve the fish he catches to
restaurant guests. Chef Tenney Flynn will be partnering with chef Jamie Adams
at Lagarde.
CHEFS KEITH AND NEALY FRENTZ | LOLA, ST. TAMMANY,
LA
Keith and Nealy Frentz met when both were sous chefs at New
Orleans' renowned Brennan's Restaurant. When hurricane Katrina forced extended
closure of Brennan's, the couple moved across the lake to Keith's hometown of
Covington and opened their own restaurant, Lola. Today, Lola is known as one of the best in Covington,
recognized for its vibrant culinary scene. The couple won the title of King and
Queen of Louisiana Seafood in 2012, were named a Chef to Watch by Louisiana
Cookin' magazine and were showcased in Louisiana Kitchen & Culture
magazine, among other various media. Chefs Keith and Nealy Fretnz will be
partnering with Elodie Westover at Full Commission. See here for more details on participating chefs.
CHEF JEFFREY HANSEL | OXLOT 9, COVINGTON, LA
Chef Jeffery Hansell brings upscale, gulf-inspired, southern fare
to quaint downtown Covington at Oxlot 9, located inside the restored Southern Hotel. Best
known for his beautifully plated, impeccably prepared and locally sourced
seafood, game and meats, Hansell has been showcased on USAToday.com, ranked as
one of Louisiana Cookin' Magazine's Chefs to Watch in 2015, awarded Best Small
Town Chef by Country Roads Magazine, competed on Food Network's "Beat Bobby
Flay" and was recognized with his wife Amy as the 2018 'Restaurateurs of the
Year' by Louisiana Travel Association. Chef Jeffrey Hansel will be partnering
with chef Linton Hopkins at Holeman & Finch Public House. See here for more details on participating chefs.
CHEF JEREMY LANGLOIS |LATIL'S LANDING RESTAURANT AT HOUMAS HOUSE & GARDENS, DARROW, LA
Chef Jeremy Langlois's culinary career started and took off at the young age of 16. By 22 years old, he was the youngest Executive Chef of any restaurant in DiRONA (Distinguished, Restaurants, of North America), an organization of 750 premiere restaurants in three countries. As Executive Chef of Latil's Landing Restaurant at Houmas House, Jeremy masterfully creates wonderful dishes in a style that he calls "Nouvelle Louisiane." Houmas House is a noted historic estate on Louisiana's famed River Road. It is well known for its opulent main house and beautifully maintained gardens. Chef Jeremy Langlois will be partnering with Kevin Rathburn at KR Steakbar.
CHEFS ALEX ROBERTSON MANCUSO AND JON GIMBER | MISS
KAY'S EATS & SWEETS, MONROE, LA
Alex Robertson Mancuso, granddaughter of Phil & Kay Robertson
from Duck Dynasty, graduated from the Louisiana Culinary Institute with
a specialization in pastry. With Miss Kay's national reputation as a talented
home cook and Alex's education and experience, the idea for Miss Kay's Sweets & Eats was born. Jon Gimber, nephew
of Phil and Kay, joined the team in 2018. He grew up in south Louisiana, where
the culture and food influenced him. His experience in operations and expertise
in Cajun and southern food has helped Miss Kay's grow in the lunch and catering
arenas. Chefs Alex Mancuso and Jon Gimber will be partnering with Mary Mac's Tea Room.
CHEF AMY SINS | LANGLOIS, NEW ORLEANS, LA
New Orleans-born, Louisiana native, and media personality Amy Sins has played
many roles over the course of her professional journey. She wants to do it all
- help people, feed people, teach, cook, write, publish, inspire, and travel.
Her love of food and Louisiana & the land has resulted in an award-winning
cookbook, a publishing company, a successful culinary event business, a radio
show and of course, a company. Amy's company, Langlois, encompasses all of her professional endeavors and
passions and creates enthusiasm within her community to encourage everyone to
gather around a cause or follow their own dreams. Chef Amy Sins will be
partnering with chef Matthew Basford at Canoe.
For more information on the event, chefs and participating restaurants, please visit the Louisiana in Atlanta Restaurant Night website, here.
ABOUT
LOUISIANA CULINARY TRAILS:
To
truly explore and experience Louisiana's unique, flavorful cuisine, you can
check out the Louisiana Culinary Trails www.louisianatravel.com/culinary or on Facebook
at www.facebook.com/LouisianaCulinaryTrails. The
Louisiana Culinary Trails is an online, self-guided road trip around
Louisiana's eight distinct regions with suggestions to take your next trip to
Louisiana to new culinary heights.