Brad & Big Rich’s Inaugural Cajun Chef’s Cookoff was Saturday at Stingaree Down Under. Under beautifully sunny skies, three cajun cook teams competed for trophies and cash in the three categories of Gumbo, Bloody Marys, and Chef’s Choice. Double Barrel Cookers, Swede’s Cajun Cookers, and Shore of Ourselves all set up their kitchens around 7 am on the boardwalk “out back” to begin creating their special gumbo and bloody marys. Lucky visitors started showing up around 11 am and were treated to some delicious tastes as they traveled around with sample cups in hand. They tasted their serving and cast their vote for “People’s Choice Award”. The band “Bayou Sounds” began playing live cajun music at noon, setting the mood for the festive day. And then the teams began preparing their “Chef’s Choice” masterpieces: Shrimp Creole, Crawfish Bisque, and Pastalaya. The judges scored each entry and compiled a consolidated score for each team. Meanwhile, raffle tickets were sold for the Mega Prize worth $1600, in addition to a wide range of smaller items.
Around 2 pm, the judges’ results were announced. Congratulations to the First Place chefs: Shore of Ourselves, Second Place: Double Barrel Cookers, and Third Place: Swede’s Cajun Cookers. The cajun tunes played on until the food ran out. But the awards were still coming. Around 3:30 pm, the winning raffle tickets were drawn, and ‘Keep Bolivar Beautiful’ awarded a “Clean Cookers” plaque to Shore of Ourselves for maintaining the cleanest and tidiest cooking area. But of course, hootin’ and hollerin’ erupted as Big Rich announced the award everyone was waiting for – the “People’s Choice Award” went to Swede’s Cajun Cookers. A great time was had by all. And most importantly, all funds raised were donated to the Holtzclaw Foundation, providing college scholarships to those in need.
Brad & Big Rich gave special recognition to David Harris who spent countless hours putting the event together, Cynthia Nobles for working tirelessly behind the scenes, and the outstanding Stingaree Staff for their tremendous support.
Judge’s Selection First Place: Shore Of Ourselves
Judge’s Selection Second Place: Double Barrel Cookers
Judge’s Selection Third Place: Swede’s Cajun Cookers
People’s Choice Award: Swede’s Cajun Cookers
Keep Bolivar Beautiful Clean Cookers Award: Shore Of Ourselves
[10-31-2016]
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