This year’s Summit has a special focus on seafood for the consumer, and the new seafood cooking competition is the perfect way to showcase the many ways to prepare local catch.

Hosted by the Louisiana Wild Seafood Certification Program, the competition first features Certified Louisiana Seafood wholesalers, Inland Seafood and Louisiana Seafood Exchange, who will present and process wild caught fish typically not found on restaurant menus.

Next, well known Certified Louisiana Seafood chefs will prepare and present dishes featuring those fish, including Vidak Sparr of Dick and Jenny’s, Cody & Sam Carroll of Sac-a-lait, Robert Vasquez of Opal Basil, Lindsay Mason of Cristiano Ristorante, Eric Cook of American Sector and Ryan Hughes of Purloo

These seafood dishes will be judged on presentation, taste, and creativity by Certified Louisiana Seafood chefs Dana Honn of Carmo, Peter Sclafani of Ruffino’s, Tenney Flynn of G.W. Fins and Mike Brewer of Manning’s.

The members of the Louisiana Wild Seafood Certification Program are committed to the environmental and economic sustainability of Louisiana fisheries and the Gulf of Mexico.  This cooking demonstration aims to showcase the economic value of additional gulf fish species, as well as provide an answer to how to sustain our vital natural resource.

Summit participants will get to see how delicious ‘bycatch’ can be. There is still time to sign up, with a few lunch slots still remaining.